Landslide-damaged railway track in Taiwan's Hualien County reopens

Taipei, May 24 (CNA) Railway traffic in Hualien County, which had been disrupted by a landslide, has fully resumed after nearly a week of intense repairs of damaged tracks, Taiwan Railway Corp. announced on Saturday.

The hillside track between Heren and Chongde stations in Hualien's Xiulin Township was fully repaired around 10 p.m. Friday, and trial operations were conducted subsequently.

The track reopened with the first train running on it on Saturday at 5:45 a.m., operating under a speed limit to ensure safety, the state-owned company said.

The newly available track is one of the firm's two railways on the North Link Line. The other, east of the hillside track and closer to the Pacific Ocean, had reopened on Wednesday as it sustained less damage.

The landslide occurred Sunday afternoon following heavy rainfall in the region. The Central Weather Administration had issued heavy rain advisories for 16 municipalities.

According to Taiwan Railway Corp., the affected section of the railway line includes about 200 meters of damaged bridges and tracks, with about 3,000 square meters of track buried under mud and rocks, including 140 square meters inside the tunnel.

In addition, around 300 meters of the main suspension wire and contact wire of the overhead catenary system were severed. Signal and communication fiber-optic cables, as well as the main power cable, were also damaged over a 300-meter area.