Taiwan Railway Administration

Boulder severs tracks on Taiwan’s east coast line: frequent landslides affect road and rail links since April 3 earthquake

boulder severs railway tracks
Disaster 
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Taiwan Railways reopened two-way traffic July 3, following a landslide that blocked road and rail links between Yilan and Hualien July 1, but traffic is reduced to a single line again today after a massive boulder fell onto tracks in the landslide-affected area. Railway personnel reported that a huge boulder fell onto the railroad, severing train tracks between Heren and Chongde train stations at 6:21 am today, July 4. Passengers travelling on the line were told to expect 15-20 minute

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Victims’ remains found on train 2 years after disastrous train derailment

Railway engineers inspect Taroko Express train memorial
Disaster 
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Pieces of human skull, bloodied clothing, and personal belongings of victims were found in the wrecked carriage of a train that stands as a memorial to one of Taiwan’s worst train accidents in a railway park in northern Taiwan today, September 1. Police investigators and Taiwan Railway Administration staff made the findings during a carpet search of of the train car after a piece of skull was found by a representative of the victims’ families during a visit to the

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Driver stops express train to scold motorist who breached level crossing barrier

train driver telling off scooter rider at level crossing
Odd News 
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The driver of an express train stopped his train and opened the window to berate a woman on a motor scooter who had stopped inside the boom gates at a level crossing in northeastern Taiwan yesterday, April 23. Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed the driver of a Taroko Class express train (No.417) traveling northbound from Zhiben to Shulin Station stopped at the crossing on Donggang Road in Yilan City at 1:52 pm. The train driver slid the window open,

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Train driver dies after being hit by freight train while crossing the tracks

police at scene of fatal train accident
Health and Safety 
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A train driver about to start his shift died after he was hit and run over by a freight train while he was crossing the tracks at Yilan Station yesterday, Wednesday evening, July 27. Liberty Times reported that the 51-year-old freight train driver, named Wu was crossing the tracks from Platform 2 to reach his train No.7,557 when he was hit by freight train No.7,556 as it entered the station at 8:33 pm. Firefighters said that Wu was obviously dead

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Snake on a train: passengers evacuated after boa constrictor appears on luggage rack

snake on luggage rack on train
Animals 
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Passengers were evacuated from a train car after a boa constrictor was spotted slithering along the luggage rack on a Taiwan Railways limited express train this morning, April 18. The conductor on the Ziqiang Class limited express No. 272 from Miaoli to Hualien received a report of a snake on the luggage racks of car No. 12 as the train arrived at Ruifang Station, New Taipei City at 8:19 am. The conductor ordered passengers out of the car and notified

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Female appointed Taipei Main Station Station Master for first time in history

Taipei Main Station stationmaster handover ceremony
Business and Economy 
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For the first time in its 135-year history, a female has been appointed as station master at Taipei Main Station, and began duties after a handover ceremony today, February 7. During the ceremony to appoint the 25th station master of Taiwan Railway Administration’s largest train station, outgoing station master Tu Wei-ting (涂維庭) handed responsibility for the management of Taiwan’s largest railway station over to 43-year-old Hu Yongzhi (胡詠芝). Hu holds a master’s degree in transportation and logistics management from National

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Water buffalo wanders onto train tracks in Hualien County

buffalo on train tracks in Hualien County, Taiwan
Animals 
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Express trains were ordered to slow down, but no major delays were reported after a water buffalo wandered onto the tracks in Fuli Township, Hualien County this morning. According to Taiwan Railways Administration, the station master on duty at Dongzhu Station spotted the buffalo on the tracks as it trotted by the station platform at 6:25 am. The station master notified the local police station, and railway police stationed at Yuli. Police officers drove the buffalo off the tracks and

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Express train hit by steel rail raises spectre of past disaster

taroko train at scene of accident
Business and Economy 
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A windscreen was damaged, but no injuries were reported, after a steel rail from a trackside construction project fell onto the tracks and hit a train in New Taipei City this morning, Tuesday, December 1. Taiwan Rail Administration (TRA) reported that the Taroko class express train was hit by a steel rail at 8:52 am between Dali and Fulong stations, causing the windscreen to be cracked. The steel rail fell from a slope stabilization project around 7-8 meters away from

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HSR, TRA to reduce train services during epidemic alert period as passenger numbers plummet

TRA EMU 900 train
Travel and Tourism 
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Taiwan’s High Speed Rail passenger numbers are down more than 71%, and Taiwan Railways passenger demand is down more than 65% as the nation goes into Level 3 epidemic alert, and train services will be reduced in response, HSR announced yesterday, and TRA announced today, May 19. HSR said that it would run 171 fewer services per week from May 21 to June 10, after daily passenger volume fell 71.08% over the daily average for March this year. TRA passenger

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First EMU3000 intercity train will arrive in June: expected to relieve congestion on east coast line

Business and Economy 
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Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) announced today, April 11, that the first of 50 newly-purchased EMU3000 trains will be delivered in June, and priority will be given to reducing congestion on the Eastern Trunk Line. The EMU3000 will function as a multipurpose, non-tilting intercity train, and is expected to increase passenger capacity by 40% on the east coast line, effectively solving the problem of excess demand during peak travel periods. The trains were purchased from Hitachi Corporation, Japan, in a record-breaking

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Taiwan train crash a “Hell on Earth:” even experienced search and rescue personnel brought to tears

Taroko class express train
Disaster 
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The aftermath of a train crash and derailment in Hualien County was a “purgatory on earth” said an exhausted member of a search and rescue team, as as he exited the tunnel at the end of a long shift. “I have served on many rescue missions, but this is the first time I shed tears.” On the evening of April 2, 2021, around 9 hours after a packed-to-capacity express train travelling at more than 100 kilometers per hour smashed into

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