Man faces fine for train surfing from Taipei to Keelung

Taipei, April 6 (CNA) A man who train surfed from Taipei to Keelung City on Saturday, clinging precariously between two carriages, is likely to be fined for breaking the law, according to railway authorities.

The man, identified by his surname Tsai (蔡), got off a Taitung-bound Taroko Express train at Nangang Station in Taipei to purchase something, and when he returned, the train's doors had already closed, Taiwan Railway Corp. (TRC) and the Railway Police Bureau said.

In an apparent panic, the man climbed onto the coupling between the third and fourth carriages as the train was leaving the station, the authorities said.

TRC said that its personnel at Xizhi Station in New Taipei noticed something suspicious on surveillance camera monitors, and they informed the train conductor and control center of the issue at around 8.15 p.m. Saturday.

According to the authorities, when the train was ordered to stop at Qidu Station in Keelung City, the man went down on the track and was then pulled on to the platform by railway police.

Tsai, aged around 40 years old, was not injured during the incident, which caused no more than a five-minute delay at Qidu Station, the state-run railway company said.

However, Tsai now faces a fine of between NT$1,500 (US$45.18) to NT$7,500, the Railway Police Bureau said, citing Articles 57 and 71 of the Railway Act.

Following the incident, TRC is urging passengers to adhere to safety rules and avoid putting themselves and others in danger.