Eastern rail safety upgrade plan targets 2031 completion: TR

Taipei, Feb. 10 (CNA) Taiwan Railway Corp. (TR) said Tuesday it has proposed a comprehensive rail safety upgrade plan for eastern Taiwan, aiming to reduce landslide and rockfall risks by 2031 following the 2024 Hualien earthquake.

The plan covers rail lines in the country's rugged east coast as well as the South Link line connecting Taitung and Pingtung counties, with a proposed budget of NT$7.799 billion (US$247 million), TR President Feng Hui-sheng (馮輝昇) said at a news conference.

The project targets high-risk sections between Heping and Chongde along the Suhua Highway corridor and nearby rail lines, with work to include slope stabilization, rock sheds and enlarging culverts, Feng said.

Eastern rail lines often run at lower elevations than parallel highways, leaving them more exposed to debris flows during earthquakes and heavy rain, according to transport officials.

They added that slope instability has worsened since the Hualien quake loosened soil along the corridor.

Feng said safety improvements are being carried out in stages. Short-term measures - including automated monitoring systems, joint rail-road disaster prevention, water-level gauges, debris-flow detection equipment and dredging - were completed last year.

Feng said the plan has passed reviews by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the National Development Council, and is awaiting approval by the Executive Yuan. Construction is expected to begin this year and finish by 2031.

The goal is to allow rocks and debris flows to pass safely above or below railway tracks, preventing disruptions to rail service, Feng said, adding that the rail work will be coordinated with road improvement projects.

As for a possible rerouting of the Northern Link line, which was raised by the Transport Ministry in 2024, Feng said studies are ongoing but it is not the most urgent priority at this stage.