The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board on Thursday issued four recommendations to Taiwan Railway Corp and the Railway Bureau regarding shunting operations amid a spate of such incidents over the past year.
The board issued its recommendations based on an investigation into an incident at the Hualien depot on April 20 last year.
The operator of a shunting engine had approached a “stop and restart” sign when a signaler used a red flag to tell it to stop, but the operator did not comply with the instruction and continued to move toward the stationary train, the board said in the investigation report.
Photo: CNA
When the shunter realized the operator had not complied, he was unable to intervene, as no equipment was available nearby to manually stop the train, it said.
Although the shunter continued waving the flag, the operator did not see the warning, it said, adding that the moving train was going about 12kph when the collision occurred.
Taiwan Railway relies heavily on visual signaling, requiring operators to monitor multiple cues simultaneously, which reduces the effectiveness of warnings, it said.
The board recommended introducing audio alerts in some situations to ensure operators receive timely warnings, it said.
Taiwan Railway lacks clear shunting procedures and failed to specify that shunters should contact operators by radio in emergencies, increasing the risk of collisions, the board said.
In addition, damaged or poorly maintained signage at the station made it difficult for drivers and shunters to judge braking distances, it said.
The board also found that the yard had disabled the automatic protection system during shunting operations, raising the risk of collisions.
It made three recommendations to Taiwan Railway: Evaluate the addition of effective signaling methods for shunters to alert operators in emergency situations or other ways to immediately stop shunting operations; repair or reinstall damaged or fallen “stop and restart” signs; and reassess the appropriateness deactivating the automatic protection systems during shunting operations.
On Monday there was a low-speed collision between two electric trains during a shunting operation at the Qidu (七堵) shunting yard in Keelung.
The 114 diesel-hydraulic locomotive, coupled to the EMU912, pushed the electric train into the EMU3000 during a coupling operation, the board said in a statement on its Web site.
Car Nos. 5, 6 and 10 of the EMU920 were derailed, as was the lead car of the EMU912, it said, adding that one person was injured.
Chinese-language media reports said that a worker fell during the incident and was taken to hospital with injuries that were not serious.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
RSS