2023 Taichung crane collapse

Last updated
2023 Taichung crane collapse
Accident on the Taichung Metro Green Line 2023-05-10 01.jpg
Tower crane collapsed onto the elevated track of Green line, Taichung Metro
2023 Taichung crane collapse
Details
Date10 May 2023 (2023-05-10)
12:27pm
LocationNear Feng-le Park metro station, Taichung
Country Taiwan
Line Green Line
Operator Taichung Mass Rapid Transit System Co
Incident typeCollision between train and crane
CauseLine obstructed; under investigation
Statistics
Trains1 Kawasaki-TRSC Green Line driverless EMU
Deaths1
Injured10

On 10 May 2023, a construction crane fell 30 floors from a construction site of Highwealth Construction Corp onto a moving Taichung Metro Green Line train south of Feng-le Park metro station, Taichung, Taiwan, killing 1 and injuring 10 passengers onboard. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The deceased passenger, legal scholar Lin Shu-ya  [ zh ], 52, was ejected out of the train carriage upon impact, resulting in her being crushed under the same train. [1] [4]

One passenger onboard, a Canadian national, claimed that the driverless train was stationary when the crane fell onto the tracks and the train then proceeded to drive and collide straight onto the fallen crane. [5] [6]

Investigation

It was revealed that the onboard train attendant followed company procedures to contact the control center about the crane obstructing the track. [7] However, the control center at Taichung Metro would require 20 seconds to activate the emergency brakes remotely, which was insufficient to prevent the collision. [7] The passenger emergency buttons onboard the train were not designed to immediately stop the train. [7]

The Taichung District Prosecutors Office questioned Taichung Metro staff involved in the incident and ten Highwealth Construction Corp personnel who were responsible for the operation of the construction crane. [7]

The operations control center detected a loss of power caused by the fallen crane, but power was automatically restored shortly after. [8] Half of the control center staff were on meal break at time of the incident. [8]

Timeline of incident

At a press conference, Taichung Metro revealed that based on CCTV footage of the train and the station before the fallen crane, the following events occurred: [7] [9]

Reactions

The acting chairman of Taichung Metro at the press conference explaining timeline of the collapse. He resigned shortly after this conference. Acting chairman of the Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Corp., Lin Liang-tai 2023-05-11 03.jpg
The acting chairman of Taichung Metro at the press conference explaining timeline of the collapse. He resigned shortly after this conference.

Taichung Metro said they intended to seek at least TWD 0.2 billion (USD6.5 million) in compensation against Highwealth Construction Corp for damage and losses resulting from the collapse. [9]

Other metro operators in Taiwan began to review and secure ongoing construction sites that were situated near the tracks. [11]

Taipei Metro admitted that the existing procedures regarding driverless trains, such as the Wenhu Line, were inadequate to stop the train in time under a similar scenario as the track circuit would not be broken and detect a fallen crane, and staff opening the manual driving panel or informing the control centre to cut off power would have taken too long. [11] Taipei Metro promised to develop new procedures to deal with such scenarios, and in the meantime metro staff were authorized to deliberately obstruct the platform or train doors from closing in order to prevent the train from moving off. [11]

The acting chairman of Taichung Metro resigned after he was criticized for his performance post-collapse. [10]

Taichung Metro proposed changes to procedures to prevent collapse of a similar nature. Changes in protocol included introducing a new standardized hand signal for staff indicating emergency stop is necessary, encouraging staff and passengers to prevent the doors from closing by obstructing the doors to prevent a driverless train from departing after witnessing an incident, and relocating the key to a separate, more accessible holder to allow roving staff to more easily open the manual driving panel to access the emergency stop button. [12] Taichung Metro also promised updates to emergency devices at stations and obstruction detection devices that will allow a train to stop in time or prevent its departure in similar circumstances. [12]

The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board concluded in June 2024 that the primary reasons for the collapse were a failure to ensure proper operation of a tower crane and a lack of clear measures for restricting or prohibiting construction on either side of Taichung Metro tracks. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taipei Metro</span> Metro system in Taiwan

Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), branded as Metro Taipei, is a rapid transit system serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaohsiung Metro</span> Transit system in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Kaohsiung Metro (Chinese: 高雄大眾捷運系統, 高雄捷運) is a rapid transit and light rail system covering the metropolitan area of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Its rapid transit network is known as Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit System or Kaohsiung Rapid Transit (KRT). Construction of the MRT started in October 2001. The MRT opened in 2008 and the Circular light rail in 2015. Kaohsiung Metro is operated by the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation (KRTC; Chinese: 高雄捷運公司) under a BOT contract the company signed with the Kaohsiung City Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taoyuan Airport MRT</span> Airport rail link of Taoyuan Airport, operated by Taoyuan Metro

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT, commonly known as the Airport MRT, is a rapid transit line of the Taoyuan Metro that connects the municipalities of the capital Taipei, Taoyuan and New Taipei with Taoyuan International Airport. The 51.33 km (31.89 mi) line, from Taipei Main Station to Laojie River, has 22 stations and began commercial service on 2 March 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151</span> Class of electric multiple units in Singapore

The Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) C151 is the first generation electric multiple unit (EMU) rolling stock in operation on the North–South and East–West lines of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, manufactured by a consortium led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) under Contract 151. They were first introduced in 1987 and are the oldest trains in operation on the network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety on the Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)</span> Safety concerns on Singaporean trains

The safety of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system in Singapore was questioned by the public after several accidents on the system during the 1980s and 1990s. Most problems have been addressed, and many safety measures are visible to users of the system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taichung Metro</span> Metro rail system in Taichung, Taiwan

The Taichung MRT is a medium-capacity rapid transit system in Taichung, Taiwan. In addition to Taichung, it may serve Changhua and Nantou counties in the future. Taichung Metro's first route, the Green Line, officially began operation on April 25, 2021, making it the 5th rapid transit system operating in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scharfenberg coupler</span> Automatic railway coupling

The Scharfenberg coupler is a commonly used type of fully automatic railway coupling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Taiwan</span> Overview of transport industry in Taiwan

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications governs transportation in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taoyuan Metro</span> Rapid transit system serving the Taoyuan City area in Taiwan

The Taoyuan Metro is a rapid transit system serving Taoyuan City, as well as parts of New Taipei City and Taipei City, in Taiwan. The most recently proposed network includes 11 lines and extensions, of which 2 are now under construction. The Taoyuan Airport MRT is the only line currently in operation. The system opened with the opening of the first line in the system, Taoyuan Airport MRT, for trial passenger service on 2 February 2017 and revenue passenger service on 2 March 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro</span> Automated electric trainset

The Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro is a class of driverless electric multiple units and corresponding signaling system. Manufactured by Hitachi Rail Italy and Hitachi Rail STS in Italy, it is or will be used on the Copenhagen Metro, Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University, the Brescia Metro, the Thessaloniki Metro, Line 5 and Line 4 of the Milan Metro, Line C of the Rome Metro, the Honolulu Skyline system, and the Yellow Line of the Taipei Metro. The first system to use this class of driverless electric multiple units was the Copenhagen Metro which was opened in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiwan Railway</span> Railway in Taiwan

Taiwan Railway (TR) is a state-owned conventional railway in Taiwan. It is operated by the Taiwan Railway Corporation under the supervision of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services on 1,097 km (682 mi) of track in Taiwan. Passenger traffic in 2018 was 231,267,955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Taipei Metro attack</span> Fatal stabbing spree in Taiwan

On 21 May 2014, a Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree directed at random civilians on a Taipei Metro train near Jiangzicui Station, resulting in four deaths and 24 injuries. It was the first fatal attack on the city's subway system since operations began in 1996. The attacker, 21-year-old Cheng Chieh, was arrested after the attack. He was sentenced to death, in addition to 144 years in prison, and was executed on 10 May 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow line (Kaohsiung Metro)</span> Planned metro line in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

The Yellow Line, also known as the Kaohsiung Metropolitan line, is a planned medium capacity rapid transit line on the Kaohsiung Metro. The line has been approved by the Executive Yuan in March 2022, and construction is expected to start in late 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Taipei Metro</span> Light rail/rapid transit system in Taiwan

New Taipei Metro is a transit system serving New Taipei, Taiwan, operated by New Taipei Metro Corporation. The Circular line, Danhai light rail, and Ankeng light rail are currently in operation, while the Sanying line is under construction. There are many other lines in various stages of planning, such as the Shenkeng light rail. Concurrently, these services are connected to Taipei Metro but operate independently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green line (Taichung Metro)</span> Metro rail line in Taichung, Taiwan

The Green line is a Medium capacity rapid transit line in Taichung as part of Taichung Metro. The line was briefly opened to the public on 16 November 2020, but closed on 22 November due to faulty couplers on the trains. The line officially re-entered service on 25 April 2021, becoming Taiwan's fifth rapid transit system in operation. Two extensions, one heading east to Dakeng and the other reaching south into Changhua, are also planned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feng-le Park metro station</span> Metro station in Taichung, Taiwan

Feng-le Park is a metro station on the Green Line operated by Taichung Metro in Nantun District, Taichung, Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taoyuan Metro 1000 series</span> Taiwanese trains

The Taoyuan Metro 1000 series, also referred to as Commuter Trains, are the electric multiple unit train types that are used for the all-stop Commuter services on the Taoyuan Airport MRT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siemens Modular Metro (Kaohsiung)</span>

The Kaohsiung Metro Siemens Modular Metro (Mo.Mo) electric multiple unit (EMU) trains has operated on the heavy-rail Red and Orange Lines since its opening in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taoyuan Metro 2000 series</span>

The Taoyuan Metro 2000 series, also referred to as Express Trains, are the electric multiple unit train types that are used for the limited-stop Express services on the Taoyuan Airport MRT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Taichung Metro attack</span> Stabbing spree in Taiwan

On 21 May 2024, a Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree directed at passengers on a Taichung Metro train near Taichung City Hall station. Three people, including the attacker, were injured. The attack occurred exactly ten years after the 2014 Taipei Metro attack.

References

  1. 1 2 Everington, Keoni (10 May 2023). "1 dead, 8 injured after crane crashes onto MRT train in central Taiwan". Taiwan News. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  2. ↑ Su Mu-chun; Chao Li-yen; Flor Wang; Matthew Mazzetta (10 May 2023). "1 dead, 8 injured after crane boom collapses on MRT in Taichung (update)". Focus News Taiwan. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  3. ↑ Chung, Jake (11 May 2023). "Train hits fallen crane boom in Taichung, killing one". Taipei Times . Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Huang, Guo-fang; Chao, Li-yen; Liu, Shih-yi; Chang, Hsiung-feng; Chen, Chun-hua; Tsai, Chih-ming; Lo, James (11 May 2023). "Legal scholar who died in Taichung MRT accident remembered as spirited advocate". Central News Agency. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  5. ↑ Charlier, Phillip (10 May 2023). "Witness says metro train was stopped when crane fell onto tracks: train then drove into it". Taiwan English News. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Tragedy in Taiwan: crane boom collapses and crashes on subway". MSN. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Su Mu-chun; Hau Hsueh-ching; Matthew Mazzetta (11 May 2023). "41 seconds from track intrusion to fatal Taichung MRT crash, video shows". Focus News Taiwan. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 "錯過16次告警？行控中心作業程序遭質疑 中捷回應了". TTV News . 13 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  9. 1 2 莊儱宇 (11 May 2023). 吊臂砸車廂釀1死10傷 台中捷運公布影像還原關鍵「奪命1分鐘」將向廠商求償至少2億. Yahoo News Taiwan. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  10. 1 2 Chao Li-yen; Lee Hsin-Yin (12 May 2023). "Acting Taichung MRT chairman tenders resignation". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 劉彥宜 (11 May 2023). 「肉身擋門」能防中捷慘劇重演？北捷授權現場人員這樣做. China Times. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  12. 1 2 "MRT company proposes changes after fatal crash". Taipei Times. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Shan, Shelley (21 June 2024). "Board cites failures in MRT incident". Taipei Times. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.