Reopening of landslide-hit railway in northern Taiwan delayed

台灣北部坍方鐵路復駛延期

Repairs to railway line expected to be completed as early as Dec. 13, additional bus services available


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Sunday (Dec. 6) that a section of railroad destroyed by a recent landslide in a rural part of New Taipei is estimated to be restored by next Sunday (Dec. 13) at the earliest.

The minister told the media after an inspection of the site that the removal of rocks and soil and repairs to the tracks would proceed slower than had been expected due to inclement weather and water runoff from nearby mountains. About 10,000 cubic meters of soil fell in the landslide, 600 cubic meters of which was removed on Saturday.

Lin said it will take three to four days to remove all of the soil from the scene. After that, the tracks and power lines will need to be replaced.

As trains between Taipei and Yilan have been suspended, people traveling between Taipei and the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung will have to rely on bus services or transfer to other trains. Luodong Train Station and the bus hub across from the station's rear entrance have become popular sites of transfer for people traveling between the north and the east.

Additional bus services have been added. Most passengers traveling between the north and the east have been able to catch a bus within 10 to 20 minutes, according to the minister.