41 seconds from track intrusion to fatal Taichung MRT crash, video shows
Taichung, May 11 (CNA) The Taichung Metro faced growing scrutiny over its emergency response procedures after releasing video footage showing that 41 seconds passed from the time a crane boom fell onto the MRT line and when it was struck by a train on Wednesday, killing one passenger and injuring 10.
Taichung Metro released the footage and laid out its version of how the accident unfolded in a press conference Thursday morning at Feng-le Park Station, near where the crash occurred.
In the video footage, the train enters Feng-le Park Station at 12:26:50 p.m. The crane boom -- which collapsed as it was being removed from the 31st floor of a nearby building under construction -- is seen falling in front of the station at 12:27:04 p.m., striking noise barriers surrounding the MRT line, but not falling directly onto the tracks.
Despite the intrusion, the train proceeded to leave the station at 12:27:30 p.m. and crashed into the boom at 12:27:45, pushing it for several more seconds before coming to a stop.
Regarding the video, Taichung Metro Chief of Operations Hsu Tai-ming (許泰銘) explained that all Taichung MRT trains have a two-meter long sensor on the front car, which activates the emergency brakes if it comes into contact with a foreign object on the tracks.
However, the MRT network does not have an intrusion detection system surrounding the tracks, which means that if a foreign object does not land on top of the tracks or disturb any electrical equipment, it will not trigger an emergency notification, Hsu said.
In terms of the response by MRT staff, Hsu said the security guard on the platform immediately notified the station manager by radio after discovering that something had fallen in front of the train.
According to Hsu, the station manager -- who can not be seen in the released footage -- went to the platform to check, and then ran to the station's service desk to alert the traffic control center.
From the traffic control center, activating the emergency brakes via computer and getting the train to stop takes about 20 seconds, which would have still been insufficient to prevent the accident, he said.
Meanwhile, Hsu said the MRT attendant inside the driverless, automated train also followed relevant SOP by notifying the traffic control center over the radio after discovering the object in the train's path.
The attendant then reached for the key to open the driver panel and access the emergency brakes, Hsu said, but the train rammed into the metal frame moments later.
A CCTV image released by on Thursday by Taichung Mass Transit Transport Corp. shows reactions of the staff and passengers on the platform before the crash a day earlier.
In addition to the response of staff members, the Taichung Metro also faced questions over the apparent inability of people on the platform or inside the first carriage to quickly bring the train to a halt.
On the New Taipei Metro, for example, there are emergency brake levers on the wall of each train carriage, which can stop a train approximately eight seconds after being activated.
Meanwhile, the Taipei Metro has emergency brakes on the platforms at some high-traffic stations, which can be used in case a person or object falls onto the tracks.
The Taichung Metro lacks both of these features.
Although Taichung Metro carriages do have emergency buttons, the company explained that once activated, these only stop the train after it reaches the next station.
Similarly, it said, the emergency door release handle does not work when the train is moving.
Regarding these issues, Taichung Metro's acting chairman, Lin Liang-tai (林良泰), said only that the company will "evaluate installing emergency buttons on station platforms" and "continue to improve" its emergency hardware and evacuation procedures.
Meanwhile, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office said Thursday it summoned 10 people from the company operating the crane, as well as a Taichung MRT security guard and train attendant for questioning.
Four individuals from the construction firm, including the site manager and crane operator, were interrogated on suspicion of negligent homicide and offenses against public safety, and were later released on bail ranging from NT$200,000 (US$6,506) to NT$500,000, the office said.
(By Su Mu-chun, Hau Hsueh-ching and Matthew Mazzetta)
Enditem/AW
