Exclusive Inside Story | Broken Taiwan Railroad Track “Whistleblower” Found Cracks in Active After-Work Inspection, But Was Punished by Emergency Response | Apple News Network | Apple Daily



[ad_1]

Taiwan Railways received yesterday (10/24) the Type 900 electric train, the most beautiful shuttle bus in history, but because Transport Minister Lin Jialong was angry about the 519 line break incident, Taiwan Railways did not dared to play the gongs and drums for a happy event. A retired director of the Taiwan Railways revealed to Apple News that in March this year, a foreman from the road brigade stopped work at 3 a.m. and participated in a patrol on the return trip on foot. A crack was found in the track in the dark and fishtails were urgently installed. After the sheet reinforcement, due to labor, lack of materials and other organizational structures, Taiwan Railways could not find a complete replacement for the 50-meter-long rail. Only continuous surveillance and monitoring of the track led to the breakdown of the track, but this name was responsible and the first. The discovery of the problem is as the “whistleblower” within the Taiwan Railways, who was tragically punished. The structural problems of the Taiwan Railways have been baffled for many years. I’m afraid more bases will turn into consecutive lambs.

After the “Chengchai Line” of the Taiwan Railways (successful in chasing points) was opened to traffic, there was a crack in the track of the successful station. The track team found it on March 3 and reinforced it with fishtail plates. The new rail was not replaced. The rift expanded and formed on May 19. When the track broke, a shuttle bus driver immediately notified the dispatcher when he heard the abnormal sound, but the station attendant did not immediately notify the dispatcher, only informing the shift worker. This made Lin Jialong enraged when the route was not blocked by the empty window for almost half an hour and the 2 trains passed. Taiwan Railroad Director Zhang Zhengyuan, who is due to retire in January next year, has demanded expanded punishment and overhaul, and faces the biggest storm in his public office.

■ At 3 am after work, a crack was found in the road after work. The foreman rushed to find someone to quickly complete the fishtail booster

Mr. A, a retired senior Taiwan Railways executive who did not want to be named, revealed to Apple yesterday that, in fact, track breaks will inevitably occur on Taiwan Railways, High Speed ​​Rail and MRT. Therefore, track maintenance inspections are more important. A crack or two will be found, but you won’t feel like the house will collapse right away, but you need to follow up and fix it. “

Regarding the broken road incident, Mr. A said that on March 3, a foreman from the road brigade left work at 3 in the morning. He had finished his work that day, but he was not driving or cycling home. He still had tools and a step. He walked down the track and inspected it. As a result, he found that there was a crack in the track on the south side of the successful station in a poor eyesight environment. At that time, the work team recovered and the fishtail plate was used to reinforce it in 2 hours. He sighed: “If this person is not enthusiastic. How can you check the clues after work and reinforce them before the operation?”

Additionally, Mr. A said that due to thermal expansion and contraction, it was felt that the weathered rail should be cut, but had to be replaced with a longer 50 meter rail. However, due to insufficient materials, only 47 meters long could be found. It has not been replaced, but the base layer of the Taiwan Railways did not release it. He continued to use the patrol car to monitor road safety. Based on the data from the patrol car, there is actually no significant difference in the flatness of the road.

Until May 19, when the driver noticed abnormal road noise, the road crew was notified and rushed to the site for inspection. At that time, the fishtail plate was still free of cracks, but after disassembling, the cracks in the rail were found to have exceeded 40 cm, so the path was immediately blocked and the rail was replaced. .

■ I want to find a 50 meter rail once and for all “This idea is wrong”

Mr. A pointed out that there was a mistake in the idea of ​​”one time only” for students to find the right materials. In fact, regardless of whether they found suitable materials, even if they had to be sawed or welded, they should be replaced within three days. “Rail safety cannot be ruled out. If you want to punish, if you can’t adjust expectations, you should try to report it.”

However, Mr. A emphasized that Taiwan Railways is not letting him go. It tracks it every day. Although the train continues to run and the cracks in the rail continue to expand, the track is held by 2 fishtail plates, the strength is equal to 1 steel rail, and there are no cracks in the fishtail plate. Under the circumstances, the danger is really limited.

Mr A pointed out that, in fact, in the current Alishan Forest Railway and the Taiwan Railway Branch, the junctions where the rails are connected one by one, there are also broken points that are not closely connected, and all of them are connected by fishtail plates. Welding, but if the fishtail plate is not damaged, adding the fishtail plate to the broken rail is the same as connecting the steel rail with a fishtail plate, which is not so scary.

Regarding the lack of manpower in Taiwan’s railways, Mr. A said that front-line crews are sometimes very inefficient. Not only do they have to perform maintenance and repairs at night, but they also have to perform route inspections during the day. In an emergency, they must regain sleep before they can get enough sleep during the day. Firms depend on enthusiasm to survive.

However, the Taiwan railroad class workforce has continued to decline. In the past, there were 20 people in each class. Later, it was reduced to 16 or 12. Now it is even less than 12. After deducting the foreman, deputy foreman, and front and rear watchers, there are only 7 to 8 people left. Work, if someone takes a vacation, the burden is really heavy. In addition, in recent years, to improve road safety, PC sleeper replacement, detours, time and labor have been further reduced, but every time an accident occurs, the base will be punished, which can cause damage 2 Up to 3 people.

■ Taiwan Railway machinery is “de facto”, the government should help

Mr. A also emphasized that the Taiwan railways lack equipment and tools, especially for special specifications. The purchase quantity is not large and the price must be high. It’s easy to question it and link it to the offer. Often times, inferior replacement manufacturers counter this. If these problems are not It is understood that the Taiwan Railways should not have enough personnel for inspection and maintenance. The government must find ways to help the Taiwan Railways to strengthen tools, purchase inspection equipment and maintenance equipment.

Another senior Taiwan Railways employee, Mr. B, who did not want to be named, said frankly that Taiwan Railways employees have to take trains every day and every week. He himself travels daily from Hualien to Taipei every week. How can you ignore road safety? The outside world misunderstood that the Taiwan railways had nothing to do with the broken track and they also criticized the recklessness of human life, which made him feel discouraged and unable to continue.

■ Broken tracks were reviewed and punished but misinterpreted; top employees of Taiwan railways were affected

Mr. B also said that after the driver’s notification on May 19, the cracks in the train tracks were found to be enlarged. The track equipment was replaced immediately and the entire line was inspected. It was completed in August and August. In September, the SOP was reviewed and the cracks were found to be replaced that night. Tie has been constantly checking, not that security is a concern.

Furthermore, Mr. B said that it is not easy to train a foreman and director of Taiwan Railways to become an M-type workforce. Responsibility: Although there is nothing to say about this negligence, Taiwan’s efforts Railways to improve the safety of the tracks should not disappear overnight. (Li Zihui / Taipei Report)

[ad_2]