China News Service, Taipei, August 23. The Transportation Safety Investigation Committee of the Taiwan Authorities held a report on factual information on the “408th Taiwan Railway Major Railway Accident at Cheqingshui Tunnel” (referred to as the “Taroko” accident) on the 23rd.
The report showed that there were multiple security loopholes in the construction site where the truck was dropped.
At 9:28 a.m. on April 2, 2021, the 408th train "Taroko" of Taiwan Railways ran into a large freight car that slipped down the track slope while traveling, killing 49 people and injuring 213 others.
According to the reports of Lianhe News Network and Zhongshi News Network, the report released on the same day has a total of 278 pages, explaining the details of the train driving process and the truck construction site in the 2 hours before the accident.
The report pointed out that the loopholes included no access control at the site, illegal hiring of workers, no work permits for workers tying steel bars at the accident site, and construction workers entering the work area without notifying Taiwan Railways on the day of the accident.
The report shows that the accident happened during the Ching Ming holiday. Taiwan Railways issued a document requesting that all work be stopped, but the accident site did not comply with the requirements of the Taiwan Railways.
In addition, the Taiwan Railways originally arranged a 24-hour guard at the scene, but it was cancelled on March 15, causing the construction site to be unable to contact the Taiwan Railways in time.
The report of the day did not state whether there were any problems with the Taiwan Railways side.
The "Sports Safety Committee" responded that at present it is only explaining the specific facts before entering the analysis stage.
The final draft of the investigation report is expected to be completed in April next year.
At the briefing session that day, the spokesperson of the group "Tears of Taroko", a group composed of the families of the victims, questioned that 18 people were killed in the "Puyuma accident" two years ago. Now that the accident has recurred, it is obvious that the Taiwan Railways has not improved significantly in the past two years. .
After the "Puyuma Accident" investigation report was released, the "Transportation Safety Committee" has put forward 18 Taiwan Railway improvement opinions.
The "Tears of Taroko" spokesperson asked on the spot, how is the implementation of these measures now?
After the release of this investigation report, there must be a new round of improvement opinions, but who will implement this matter seems to be inconclusive.
The lawyer representing "Taroko's Tears" also pointed out that the implementation of the improvement measures may not be achieved by the "China National Sports Commission".
Some details of the previous communication with the Taiwan Railways are somewhat different from the details presented in today's report.
Taiwan Railways work lacks rules and regulations and is constantly perfunctory.
The "National Transportation Safety Committee" stated that at present, the organization can only do what it can, but it does not have the authority to influence the actions of relevant departments. It is hoped that "legislators" can provide more opinions and promote the improvement of Taiwan Railways.
(End)