Railway section in Hualien reopened after train accident

Taipei, June 22 (CNA) — A section of the western main railway line in Hualien resumed service Saturday after an accident involving a bullet train the previous day caused by landslides on the tracks, according to the Taiwan Railway Corp. (TR).

Nine people, including the driver, were injured when Tze-Chiang Limited Express No. 229 ran over some stones on the tracks and partially derailed in the Qingshui Tunnel between Chongde and Heren at around 4:50 p.m. on Friday.

More than 500 passengers were helped to disembark and were taken back to Hualien Station with the assistance of TR personnel who were dispatched to the scene about 20 minutes after the accident.

TR said in a statement on Saturday that the tracks had been cleared of debris and that train traffic on that section had resumed in both directions at around 1:47 p.m. However, for safety reasons, speeds had been temporarily limited to 30 kilometers per hour.

The landslide was caused by heavy rains in recent days, TR said, adding that it would work to improve its early warning systems to prevent similar accidents.

At a press conference on Saturday, TR Chairman Tu Wei (杜微) said that while the eastern main line was equipped with an early warning system, the section of the western main line where the accident occurred did not have such a system because no rockfall incidents had been recorded there before Friday.

TR will improve safety on this stretch of track by installing an early warning system on the tracks, he said.

Meanwhile, Tu said the eight passengers on the EMU3000 Tze-Chiang intercity express train who were injured suffered only minor injuries and had all been discharged from hospital.

The driver has since undergone surgery for a broken hand and is still in hospital, Tu said.

Also on Saturday, Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) apologized for the accident and said he had issued instructions to TR through the Transport Ministry to thoroughly and effectively improve rail safety as soon as possible.