Taipei (The China Post/ANN) - A speeding Taroko Express train yesterday rammed into the rear of a heavy-duty gravel truck in northern Taiwan, killing the train driver and leaving 26 injured, none critically.
The truck driver, who is being blamed for the crash, managed to narrowly escape certain death by jumping off the truck before the impact. Police yesterday interviewed the truck driver, a man identified by his surname Peng, after his brief, mysterious "disappearance" from the scene, and may charge him with negligent manslaughter.
The train, with 250 passengers on board, was heading north at 8:42am, when it hit the truck at a crossing on Yangmei's Yongmei Road. It kept going after the impact, pushing the damaged truck along for 300 metres, until it reached the Puxin Railway Station in downtown Yangmei.
The Puxin Railway Station was immediately shut down, and south- and north-bound trains could go no further south than the Zhongli Railway Station in the north and no further north than the Yangmei Railroad Station south of the Puxin Railway Station, respectively. As train service was disrupted, long backups were reported on the major highways and roads nearby. As of press time, emergency crews were still combing the scene of the accident and resumption of normal train service was not expected until this morning.
According to Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA), the train's locomotive was completely destroyed and a section of railroad and a rail switch were damaged. The truck was also totaled.
Security cameras show the gravel truck driven by Peng entered the level crossing immediately after another truck, without keeping a safe distance. When the driver of the first truck stepped on the brake after clearing the tracks, Peng also braked to avoid a rear-end collision and got caught on the tracks.
Tsai, the train driver killed in the crash, was the father of an only son, graduated third from his class at the TRA Training Centre and has been a fine train driver twice honoured for this meritorious performance since he officially joined TRA in 1988. He had been asked to help train a number of female rookies before his untimely death.
With one Taroko locomotive gone, the TRA will have to rely on the remaining five to transport passengers on the 86.6-km North-Link Line, in the central section of the Eastern Line of the TRA, including the 7.4-km segment between Beipu in Hsinchu and Hualien Port, during the Chinese New Year holidays. A slower PP Ziqiang locomotive will be used as a stopgap.
Shortly after the accident, the TRA reassured people who have reserved tickets for service on the North-Link Line during the Chinese New Year Holidays will not be affected, while cautioning them to expect an up-to-30-minute increase in travel time.
The TRA loss is estimated at NT$200 million, according to officials.
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