Single-track service along the Chongde-Renhe section of Taiwan Railway’s line along eastern Taiwan is expected to resume on Wednesday, and dual-track service on Saturday after landslides caused by heavy rain damaged the tracks.
Flooding inside the tunnel is more severe than expected, Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) told a news conference this afternoon.
It would take about four days to fully repair the damage, TRC deputy general manager Chen Tsung-hung (陳宗宏) said.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Railway Corp
The TRC’s early warning system was effective, promptly notifying trains along the route to stop via the operations control center, Chen said.
Shuttle bus services from Xincheng to Heping began at 5:32am this morning and as of 2pm had made a total of 17 trips transporting 8,360 passengers, he said.
Shuttle bus services from Hualien to Heping are to run from 8pm to midnight tonight, with the frequency to be adjusted based on the weather, he added.
In a later news release, the TRC said that about 200m of track were damaged and 60 sleepers were broken, with about 3,000m³ of debris covering the tracks.
In addition, about 300m of the electric traction system’s wires were damaged, and one electric power pole was toppled over, it said.
About 300m of signaling and communication cables and main power cables were damaged, and one set of radio repeaters was destroyed, it added.
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