NEW TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Department of Rapid Transit Systems, New Taipei City Government, announced Monday (May 6) that the estimated cost of restoring the earthquake-damaged Circular Line of the New Taipei Metro is over NT$400 million, which will be initially covered by the New Taipei City Government.
The strong earthquake on April 3 in Hualien caused damage to the disc bearings of the connecting beams between Banxin Station (Y15) and Qiaohe Station (Y13) on the Circular Line. This led to the displacement of steel box beams at 11 locations and severe deformation of some tracks.
The department confirmed that plans for manufacturing disc bearings at 11 locations and designing construction schemes are underway.
Department Deputy Director Cheng Chih-ming stated that the design unit had completed six sets of earthquake force simulations and the new disc support design was based on the forces obtained from the simulations.
The department said that after the earthquake, all steel box beams have been additionally reinforced and monitoring facilities have been completed. Despite frequent aftershocks recently, current monitoring indicates a stable and safe condition.
Service between Zhonghe Station and Banqiao Station remains suspended, with shuttle buses being used to manage passenger flow. The department said that bus shuttle services will continue until full operation of the Circular Line is restored, with the rights and interests of the public being the top priority.
