Puyuma train derails in Hualien after Car 1 strikes falling boulders at night on Apr. 10
Puyuma train derails in Hualien after Car 1 strikes falling boulders at night on Apr. 10
2024-04-11
Taiwan’s largest earthquake in 25 years happened over a week ago, yet aftershocks continue to rock the entire country. On Wednesday night, the tremors caused several large rocks to fall on train tracks in Hualien, derailing a train with 146 passengers. The area that the rock fell on does not currently have a rockfall alert system. Fortunately for all involved, no injuries have been reported.
Engineers are inspecting a derailed Puyuma train. At the front left side of the train’s engine they notice the signs of a collision, which explains why the front car of this train derailed Wednesday evening.
The northbound train’s final destination was New Taipei’s Shulin Station. At 9:10 at night this train was close to Heping Station in Hualien when it struck a boulder that had fallen on the tracks, scraping its side. With their train unable to go forward, over 100 passengers had their travel plans delayed.
While waiting for another train, one rider was upset enough to yell at a train station staff member, who did his best to help the passengers calm down.
The number 445 Puyuma Tze-chiang limited express train was pulling into Hualien’s Heping Station from the south when it crashed into one of four big stones that had fallen from the hillside on the tracks after rolling across Provincial Highway No. 9 and destroying the protective fences. The collision caused the front car’s second axle to derail. The incident has raised questions as to why no alert was sent about falling boulders on the tracks. The Taiwan Railway explained that the incident had happened between the 40,800 km and 40,900km marks on the track, which does not have a warning system for falling rocks, as it was previously not deemed a high risk area. The line currently has 26 other sections of track with warning systems.
Wang Kwo-tsai
Transport minister
Back when the assessment of that track section was carried out they’d determined the slope was relatively stable. In the future we’ll have 38 sections that will be part of the rockfall alert system, which we’re currently working on. So for follow-up work pertaining to these 38 sections of Taiwan Railway, I think we’ll inspect the slopes once more. We’re likely to add some more alert areas to the slopes.
On the train were 146 people, which includes railway staff and travelers, yet none were harmed by the collision. The passengers were later transferred onto a local train as Taiwan Railway rushed to repair the track; the eastern track was back in service by 12:30 a.m. on Apr. 11, and the entire track was operational by 6:30 in the morning. Because aftershocks have continued to shake Hualien, Taiwan Railway is working to keep travelers safe by adding a steel fence that’ll run alongside the track and it is also more frequently inspecting the entire line of the train.
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普悠瑪擦撞落石出軌幸無人傷 今晨恢復雙向通車
2024-04-11
昨天(10日)晚間9點10分，一架北上445次普悠瑪自強號，在花蓮和平站南端進站時擦撞落石，導致第一車廂2軸出軌，所幸車上旅客、司機共146人無人傷亡，經過搶修，今天(11日)上午6點已恢復雙向通車，但外界質疑，為何事故當下沒觸發落石告警系統，對此，台鐵公司說明，落石地點並非落石高風險路段，目前已設置的26處落石告警系統，並未包含此處，交通部長王國材指出，未來將加強巡查邊坡，評估增加告警系統。
工程人員前往鐵軌查看普悠瑪列車，發現車頭左側烤漆有明顯擦撞痕跡，而且第一節車廂已經偏離軌道。
週三晚間9點10分，北上開往新北樹林的普悠瑪列車，在花蓮和平站南邊擦撞落石，造成出軌停駛，超過上百名旅客行程受到影響。
在等待轉乘途中，有人不滿等待，直接對著站務人員咆哮，站務人員只能盡力安撫旅客。
台鐵公司表示，這架445次普悠瑪自強號，從花蓮和平站南端進站時，有四塊落石越過台9線，接著撞毀柵欄，列車擦撞落石後，第1車2軸出軌，但外界質疑，事故當下沒有觸發落石告警。台鐵說明，落石地點40k+800到40k+900之間，由於這處不屬於落石高風險路段，因此目前26處落石告警系統，並未包含該路段。
[[交通部長 王國材]]
“該處是當時評估是邊坡算穩定的，那我們後續還有38處(告警系統)，現在正進行中，所以台鐵這38處後續，我想說把所有邊坡再巡一次，勢必要再增加一些邊坡的告警”
所幸車上旅客、司機，共146人，無人傷亡，後續已引導旅客搭乘區間車，經過台鐵搶修，週四凌晨12點半開通東正線，上午6點恢復雙線行車。由於花蓮餘震不斷 ，台鐵將盡速加固鋼軌柵欄，並加強路線巡查，以維護旅客乘車安全。
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