2 cars stray onto Kaohsiung Light Rail tracks causing 36 minutes in delays

兩車誤入高雄輕軌軌道，造成延誤36分鐘

Elderly man and drunk driver face fines for straying onto light rail tracks in southern Taiwan


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two separate incidents involving people driving their cars onto Kaohsiung Light Rail tracks led to over a half hour in delays on Saturday (Dec. 3).

The first instance involved a 74-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳) who was suspected of being "unfamiliar with the road conditions." The Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC) said at 6:06 p.m. on Saturday, Chen's white car strayed onto the tracks and got stuck between the Longhua Elementary School (C23) and Heart of Love River (C24) stations at the intersection of Dashun Road and Longsheng Road.

Chen's car was not removed from the tracks until 6:45 p.m. However, the line continued to operate by switching two-way traffic to a single track between the C23 and C24 stations.

At 9:34 p.m., a black car strayed onto the tracks between Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital (C22) and Longhua Elementary School (C23) stations, reported UDN. For safety reasons, the trains were suspended and taxis were used to shuttle passengers between C22 and C24 stations.

A breathalyzer test found the driver had a blood alcohol level of 0.90 mg/l, which exceeded the legal limit of 0.15 mg/l. He was then transferred to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutor's Office to be investigated for offenses against public safety (公共危險罪).

The trains did not resume operation until 10:10 p.m. The drivers also face fines of NT$1,500 (US$49) to NT$7,500 for being in violation of the Mass Rapid Transit Act (大眾捷運法).

The incidents on Saturday mark the third and fourth since the new line was opened in October. The Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. called on motorists to abide by traffic signals when driving through areas that they are unfamiliar with and to not drive onto the light rail tracks.