TAIPEI (TVBS News) — It's been a busy week for Taiwan's newly-appointed Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) as heavy rain disrupted the Suhua Highway and the Taiwan Railways (台鐵) between Chongde (崇德) and Heren (和仁) on Sunday (Sept. 8), prompting swift action.
Chen, who assumed office just a week ago, quickly traveled north from Taichung to assess the situation.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC, 交通部) reported that Chen directed the initiation of the highway and railway evacuation plan and instructed the Civil Aviation Administration (民航局) to arrange additional flights and the Maritime Port Bureau (航港局) to prepare a maritime backup.
Chen took the 5:40 p.m. Tze-Chiang Limited Express train to Luodong (羅東), transferred to a local train to Heren, and reached the disaster site by 9:30 p.m. He thanked the repair crews and emphasized the importance of safety during their work.
Chen continued to the landslide-covered area aboard an engineering train, reiterating his gratitude and stressing safety. On his return, he coordinated with Taiwan Railways to ensure connections to the last High Speed Rail train at Zuoying (左營). He arrived back in Taipei at 12:40 a.m. on Monday (Sept. 9), completing a round-the-island trip in less than a day.
The Ministry plans to provide updates on the restoration progress and any further transportation arrangements. Residents and travelers should stay informed about the latest developments.
