Delays in Kaohsiung After Welding Vehicle Derails 台鐵新左營-高雄段 凌晨焊軌車出軌意外

At around 3 a.m. this morning, a rail welding vehicle derailed on a section of track between Zuoying and Kaohsiung, and the section was closed for repairs. It reopened at 10:30 a.m. Meanwhile, a train hit and killed a driver at Yilan Station on July 27.

The train slowly enters Sankuaicuo Station. The people on the platform had been waiting over half an hour for this train.

Passenger: “I was going to take the 3141 local train leaving at 9:20, so I arrived early. I arrived early, but the train didn't come.”

Some people considered leaving the station to take a taxi because they didn't want to be late for work. At around 3 a.m. on July 28, a rail welding vehicle carrying out maintenance was traveling between Xinzuoying Station and Kaohsiung Main Station. It was reportedly overweight, and ruptured tracks while making a turn and derailed. Taiwan Railways closed off this section for repairs. Bidirectional traffic continued on the other side. Trains traveling during the time the repairs that were conducted were delayed by an average of eight minutes.

Hou Chung-he, Administrator, Kaohsiung Station: “... between Gushan and Sankuaicuo. I just took a look, and the location appears to be under Love River, right under Love River. We also have the Museum of Fine Arts Station that we can use to manage vehicles, so the number of affected trains is not high.”

Repairs were completed by around 10:30 a.m. The cause of the accident is still being determined. Meanwhile, at around 8 p.m. on July 27, a freight train entering Yilan Station hit a train driver surnamed Wu who was crossing the tracks during a shift change. 

Huang Tung-yung, Stationmaster, Yilan Station: “The driver for the 7557 train crossed the tracks from the north end of the second platform to get to the fourth track during a shift change. He was hit by the 7556 freight train entering the station.”

The driver was trapped between the train and tracks and already dead by the time firefighters arrived. Prosecutors have finished collecting evidence, and the railway police will open an investigation.

列車慢慢進到三塊厝車站的月台，上班民眾苦等超過半小時，終於有車搭，鬆了一口氣。

搭車民眾說：「我是20分鐘的那一班 3141次（區間），所以我提早來，但是提早來，反而等不到車。」

民眾上班快遲到，差點要出站搭計程車。台鐵新左營站到高雄站間的路段，28日凌晨3時，疑似因維修鐵軌的焊軌車過重，過彎時造成鐵軌裂軌、出軌，台鐵趕緊封閉東正線軌道搶修，剩西正線雙向通車，搶修期間的班次平均延誤8分鐘。

台鐵高雄站務主任侯忠何表示：「鼓山跟三塊厝之間，我剛剛過去看的地點大概是在愛河底下，剛好在愛河底下，那因為鼓山、三塊厝之間，我們還有一個美術館（站）可以做車輛的調度，所以目前影響車子的車次不多。」

軌道大約在10時半修復，詳細事故原因還在釐清中。但台鐵事故不只一起，27日晚間8時多，宜蘭車站一台貨物列車進站時，撞到正在跨越軌道、準備去交班的另一名吳姓台鐵司機員。

台鐵宜蘭站長黃東墉指出：「7557次交接班司機員，從第2月台北邊跨越軌道，欲至4股道交接班，不慎遭進站之7556次貨物列車撞擊。」

遭撞的司機員困在列車跟鐵軌之間，消防人員到場時已經明顯死亡。檢察官指示偵察人員蒐證完畢，後續將交由鐵路警察進行調查。