Rampaging motorcyclist causes delays at Banqiao Station

Taipei, May 23 (CNA) A motorcyclist who crashed through the ticket barriers at Banqiao Station before lying down on the tracks and refusing to move as a train approached caused delays to 12 services Saturday morning, according to Taiwan Railway Corp. (TR).

After riding into the station, the man was thrown from his motorcycle while attempting to clear a staircase between the first-floor lobby and the platform level below at 8:35 a.m., TR said in a statement.

Despite suffering visible head lacerations, TR said the man continued on foot through the underground concourse before jumping onto the tracks.

The northbound local train No. 2114, traveling from Changhua to Keelung, was approaching the station at the time and made an emergency stop, narrowly avoiding hitting the man, according to the company.

Railway police and emergency responders were immediately dispatched to the scene, while train services between Shulin and Banqiao switched to single-track, bidirectional operations.

Witnesses quoted by local media said the man appeared emotionally agitated and reportedly told emergency responders trying to restrain him that he "couldn't be killed that easily."

TR said normal double-track operations between Shulin and Banqiao resumed shortly after police physically removed the man from the tracks around 9 a.m.

The man was later taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment and further evaluation, according to local reports.