PHOTO ESSAY/Taiwan Railway Corp. applicants undergo physical examination

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) Several hundred applicants for Taiwan Railway Corp. positions took part in a large-scale physical fitness test in four different areas around Taiwan on Sunday. They were required to carry sandbags weighing between 30 and 45 kilograms on a 40-meter run.

It was the first recruitment session the state-run company -- the corporatized version of the Taiwan Railways Administration -- has held since it was inaugurated on Jan. 1.

Sunday's test was the first of three tests for those applying to become an employee of the train operator. Only those who pass the physical fitness test are eligible for the subsequent written examination and interview/practical test, according to the company.

Men were tasked to run 40 meters carrying sandbags weighing between 35 and 45 kg, while women ran the same distance carrying between 30 and 40 kg.

According to a Taiwan Railway official, the Sunday test was held at the same time in Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Taitung.

Those who pass the physical exam will be eligible to take part in the March 2 written test, the official said, adding that a further interview or practical test (depending on the job description) will take place on March 31.

Those who pass all three examinations and are either offered a job or are placed on the waiting list will find out when results are posted online on April 12, the official added.