5 tourists to be fined for walking on Alishan Forest Railway tracks

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) Five tourists will be fined after they were caught walking on the tracks of the Alishan Forest Railway in Chiayi County on Monday, the result of increased patrols by local authorities prompted by a non-fatal collision last month.

Each of the five tourists will be fined between NT$10,000 (US$302) and NT$50,000 under Article 70 of Taiwan's Railway Act, according to a press release from the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency.

The press statement said the tourists were caught by personnel with the heritage office in conjunction with local police during a joint patrol near Erwanping Station, the last station on the main Alishan railway line before arriving at Alishan.

"The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency appeals to the public not to walk on the tracks," the press release said, and advised against entering bridges or tunnels.

The office also said it would install more cameras along the tracks.

Local authorities said they have stepped up patrols on the picturesque railway route popular with foreign and domestic tourists alike following a high-profile accident last month.

In the Dec. 14 incident, a female tourist was injured when a locomotive struck her near Dulishan Station on the Alishan railway's main line.

She had been standing on the tracks taking photos as the train approached, and apparently did not heed its warning whistle, according to video footage that was circulated widely after the incident.