Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) yesterday ordered the dismissal of the director and a section chief of the Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) construction department after a steel pile fell from a construction site onto the tracks, hitting a westbound Taroko Express train yesterday morning.
No deaths or injuries were reported.
Wang vowed to transform the agency into a state-run corporation within three years when he assumed his post following the April 2 derailment of an eastbound Taroko Express at the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道) in Huailen County. That incident, which killed 49 people and injured more than 200, was caused
SAFETY UNDER SCRUTINY: Material fell from a construction site near the train tracks and broke the train’s windshield, but did not cause injury or deathBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporter