Train, ferry services, events suspended as Typhoon Kong-rey nears

Taipei, Oct. 29 (CNA) Some train, ferry services and events in eastern Taiwan have been suspended or rescheduled as Typhoon Kong-rey continues to approach the country from the southeast.

Ferries from Donggang and Yanpu piers to Xiaoliuqiu in the southernmost county of Pingtung scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 1 will be suspended, according to operators on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Taiwan Railway Corp. said on Tuesday that its "presidential train," which includes a carriage used by former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), originally set to run between Taitung Train Station and Ruisui Station in Hualien on Nov. 3, will be canceled, but passengers who have already booked the train service can reschedule.

In addition, Taiwanese pop band May Day announced on Facebook on Tuesday that they will postpone their concerts scheduled in Kaohsiung on Nov. 1, Yuli in Hualien on Nov. 2, and Hualien City on Nov. 3.

With current forecasts indicating that it will most likely make landfall in the eastern half of Taiwan, Typhoon Kong-rey was packing maximum sustained winds of 126 kph and gusts of up to 162 kph, according to Central Weather Administration (CWA) data on Tuesday morning.

The typhoon's intensity is forecast to peak Wednesday evening to Thursday, according to the CWA.