Taiwan Railway's Pingxi Line closed due to heavy rain

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) Service on the Pingxi Line, a railway branch line in New Taipei popular among day trippers, was suspended Sunday due to torrential rain.

According to Taiwan Railway Corp. (TR), service on the 12.9-kilometer line was halted at 1:22 p.m.

At 2:18 p.m., TR staff at Shifen Station reported that subgrade -- the native material underneath the train tracks -- had been washed out from under a section of tracks between Shifen and Dahua stations.

A maintenance crew was sent to repair the damaged tracks, but as of Sunday evening, service on the Pingxi Line was not expected to resume until Monday, according to the TR website.

Much of Taiwan has seen sustained and heavy rain over the weekend due to a passing tropical depression. On Sunday, parts of New Taipei, Kaohsiung and Pingtung reported daily rainfall above 200 millimeters.