PUYUMA ACCIDENT: Lin Chia-lung said that it hurt him to read the Taiwan Railways Administration report, which the public is likely to see in a negative light
Taipei Times
Date: Mar 14, 2019
By: Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday said
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung answers lawmakers’ questions during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
that he has asked the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) to review the punishments handed to former TRA officials over the derailment of Puyuma Express No. 6432 in Yilan County on Oct. 21 last year, adding that the agency should consider releasing the recorded conversations between the train’s driver and the control center if there is no legal issue.
Lin was asked to brief lawmakers at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee about the establishment of a railway technology research and certification center.
However, the committee meeting focused on how Lin planned to raise penalties for former TRA officials who were allegedly responsible for the fatal railway accident, after local media reported that he had on Tuesday rejected the final report on the accident submitted by the TRA.
Before Lin took office in January, the ministry had ruled that three former TRA directors-general — Frank Fan (范植谷), Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) and Jason Lu (鹿潔身) — were to receive demerits for the accident. Lu was given a major demerit, whereas Fan and Chou were each given a minor demerit. [FULL STORY]
