Bullet train resumes services Friday, 165 ferry services still suspended

Taipei, July 25 (CNA) Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) on Thursday announced the full resumption of services the following day, while 165 ferry services on 16 routes will remain suspended on Friday.

In a statement, THSRC said its services will run as normal Friday based on its regular timetable, citing a Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that Typhoon Gaemi is moving away from Taiwan.

Meanwhile, state-run Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) said in a statement that although there were no reports of injuries to personnel or train cars, mud and rock slides triggered by Gaemi still caused serious damage in five separate locations.

Tracks at three spots on the the North-Link Line and those at the collapsed Xiaoqingshui Bridge on the Eastern Trunk Line were washed away, and land erosion has been reported near Bachang Creek Bridge on the Western Trunk Line.

Repairs will be undertaken as soon as the weather improves, TRC said.

In terms of air travel, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said it had coordinated with UNI Air and Mandarin Airlines to add 20 flights linking Taiwan proper to offshore Penghu and Kinmen counties from Friday in response to surging demand.

According to Penghu Airport, around 14,000 travelers were trapped on the islands due to the suspension of air links on Wednesday and Thursday.

The CAA said operations at airports nationwide will return to normal on Friday, offering 258 flights across Taiwan.

As of 6 p.m. on Thursday, 262 domestic flights as well as 223 international and cross-Taiwan Strait flights had been suspended, according to CAA data.

Meanwhile, the Maritime and Port Bureau said 169 services on 12 domestic and four cross-strait ferry routes were suspended on Thursday, while 165 flights on the 16 routes will be cancelled on Friday, mainly those between southern Taiwan and Kinmen, Penghu, Orchid, Xiaoliuqiu and Green islands.

In eastern Taiwan, road traffic between Yilan and Hualien counties remained interrupted by mud and rockslides sparked by Gaemi.

According to the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH), the section of the Su-Hua Highway Corridor between Suao Township in Yilan and Heren in Hualien will be divided into three sections, which will be open to traffic at different times from Friday, while rockslides at three spots along the Heren-Chongde section will be cleared within five days.

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