HUALIEN (TVBS News) — Taiwan Railway announced on Thursday (April 11) that it has resumed two-way traffic after a Puyuma Express train derailed due to a rockfall the previous night. The railway company said the track was cleared by 6 a.m.
The railway company confirmed that none of the 146 passengers on board were injured. Station staff quickly guided passengers to transfer to local trains and established a first-level response team.
In response to questions about why the rockfall warning system did not activate, Taiwan Railway said the location of the rockfall was not considered a high-risk area for rockfalls. The 26 rockfall warning systems currently in place do not cover this area.
Taiwan Railway emphasized that the incident was a collision with a fallen rock, not a direct hit by a falling rock, as some reports suggested.
The Puyuma Express No.445 derailed at the southern end of Heping Station at 9:10 p.m. on Wednesday. It is suspected that the train grazed a rock that had fallen due to aftershocks, causing the first car on the north side to derail and affecting the adjacent track, leading to a temporary suspension of traffic on both tracks.
