Alpine train service, festivals suspended as Typhoon Gaemi nears

Taipei, July 22 (CNA) Alpine train and ferry services and festivals nationwide will be suspended as a precaution as Typhoon Gaemi moves closer to Taiwan from the southeast.

In northern Taiwan, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said Monday in a statement that the 2024 Taipei Summer Festival in Dadaocheng will be suspended starting Tuesday and a fireworks display scheduled for Wednesday will be called off.

Activities will resume pending further notice based on the storm's movements, the department said, adding that those who have purchased discounted Blue Water Route boat tickets are eligible for a full refund or can reschedule the trip.

The city's Water Department said that beginning at 4 p.m. Tuesday, only traffic out of the city will be allowed along the riverside areas and embankment ramp zones citywide in anticipation of the heavy rain to be brought by the typhoon.

It urged the public to remove vehicles parked in those areas as towing operations for vehicles parked on the embankment will begin four hours later.

Meanwhile, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) on Monday was not yet ready to say if and when schools and offices will be closed due to the typhoon, noting only that a decision will be made when more precise information on Typhoon Gaemi's course is available.

According to the Central Weather Administration, the storm was moving at 12 kilometers per hour in a north-northwesterly direction and is expected to make landfall in Yilan County in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Also on Monday, the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office announced that railway service between Alishan and Chiayi stations will be suspended Tuesday, and service on that route and routes within the Alishan Recreation Area will be suspended on Wednesday and Thursday.

Service will be resumed only when the mountain railway line, which has been dealt repeated blows by storms in the past, is fully guaranteed after the typhoon passes, the office said.

Passengers who have booked tickets to travel on the railway can get refunds at ibon-equipped 7-Eleven stores around the country, it said.

From 2 p.m. Tuesday, Yilan County's Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area will be closed as a precaution due to the approach of Gaemi.

The decision on when the area will be reopened will depend on the typhoon's movements and its impact on the Taipingshan area, according to the recreation area's management.

In southern Taiwan, the Taitung County government said Monday activities being held for the Taitung Hot Air Balloon Carnival from Wednesday to Friday will be canceled.

In addition, it said, a special concert slated for Thursday at the Taitung Luye Highlands will be postponed to Aug. 2.

Visitors who have booked tickets to these events online will get a full refund, the county government said.

Meanwhile, ferry services between Taitung and Green, Orchid and Xiaoliuqiu islands will be suspended between Tuesday and Thursday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said Monday.

It urged tourists vacationing on the islands to pay attention to the storm's development and all traffic information.