Trains on the Taipei Metro's elevated Wenhu Line are to run at reduced speeds in the event of sudden downpours, lightning strikes or other bad weather conditions to prevent stoppages, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said today.
To keep the driverless trains running, the system's safety mechanism has been adjusted to automatically reduce current speeds by 75 percent when bad weather events occur, TRTC said in a statement.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Rapid Transit Corp
Taipei Metro personnel would also be dispatched to board the trains for monitoring purposes, the company said.
The announcement was made after a Wenhu Line train stopped on a track for about 10 minutes during rush hour on May 7, causing service disruptions to other trains on the line.
The company later said that the train had lost traction as it rained that day, triggering a safety mechanism that stopped the driverless function and could only be overridden manually.
The incident resulted in a public backlash, prompting TRTC to convene a meeting of experts on Wednesday to conduct a comprehensive review of the Wenhu Line system, which was originally built so that it would cease operations in typhoon conditions.
As extreme climate conditions become more prevalent, TRTC today said there was a need to make the Wenhu Line more weather resistant.
The line's Neihu (內湖) section is designed with steel tracks, making it more prone to becoming slippery during heavy rain, the company said.
Thus, in addition to applying anti-slip coating for better traction, trains would also reduce speeds to improve safety and reduce delays, it added.
A similar incident again happened yesterday, when a Wenhu Line train suddenly stopped on the tracks amid a thunderstorm.
Its operation was only restored after a driver boarded the train to override the system.
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