Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/05
By: Lee Hsin-Yin
Taipei, Nov. 5 (CNA) The Japanese manufacturer of the Puyuma train model involved in a deadly derailment on Oct. 21 has promised to immediately fix a design flaw exposed by the crash, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said Monday.
Following the accident, it was discovered that the train did not automatically alert the dispatch control room when the driver turned off the train’s automatic safety system, which prevents a train from traveling at excessive speeds.
There is an automatic train protection (ATP) system in every train and remote control systems in the Shulin and Hualien depots sending messages to the dispatch control room, but the two were never connected.
The Japanese company will create a link between the two, which the TRA is hoping will improve the safety of the Puyuma trains, known for their tilting features to travel faster on existing tracks. [FULL STORY]