THSRC Apologizes Again for Delays, Plans Over NT$200 Billion for Early Equipment Upgrades

(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 4) Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) Chairman Shi Zhe today reported to the Legislative Yuan's Transportation Committee and apologized again for the signal abnormality on May 25 that affected operations. He stated that the company will strengthen maintenance operations and emergency response mechanisms in three phases and is evaluating an investment of over NT$200 billion to replace and renew critical equipment ahead of schedule.

The Legislative Yuan's Transportation Committee today invited the Minister of Transportation, the Director-General of the Railway Bureau, and THSRC Chairman Shi Zhe to provide a special report on the "May 25 THSRC Severe Delay Incident."

According to THSRC's written report, the incident occurred at 4:27 AM on May 25 when maintenance personnel in the Miaoli section experienced a signal abnormality after performing a replacement of the power module for a switch machine control cabinet (SMC), marking the first such occurrence. Chairman Shi Zhe apologized again for this today.

Shi Zhe said that after multiple internal meetings and reviews, THSRC will divide its efforts into short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals to comprehensively enhance the stability of the THSRC operating system and emergency response mechanisms.

For the short-term goal, Shi Zhe stated that the company will work with the original equipment manufacturer and third parties to clarify the root cause of this incident to prevent recurrence, maintaining high punctuality and availability rates to serve passengers.

For the medium-term goal, he pointed out that the company will strengthen the control of critical nighttime maintenance operations and response timeliness. For critical maintenance work where time is of the essence, maintenance crews will standby earlier near the fences or trackside, ready to enter the work area immediately once the Operations Control Center announces the start of the maintenance window to save time.

Shi Zhe mentioned that, based on the principle of not affecting operations, the company will appropriately arrange work and control points. Critical maintenance operations will have control points to assess current progress and equipment status, taking appropriate actions with the highest principle of not affecting upcoming operations.

Regarding improving pre-service system abnormality response plans and decision-making models, Shi Zhe said that through operational big data analysis, the company will establish response plans for different system abnormality patterns to shorten decision-making time and reduce the impact on operations and passenger itinerary delays. THSRC is also actively planning to estimate delayed arrival times for trains in transit and inform passengers in real time.

For the long-term goal, Shi Zhe stated that THSRC will comprehensively review all operating systems, including signaling, power, rolling stock, and track. The systems, originally designed for a 35-year asset life, have been in operation for over 20 years. To ensure system stability and avoid the impact of aging equipment on operational reliability, the company is evaluating a capital expenditure of over NT$200 billion to replace and renew critical equipment ahead of schedule, further enhancing system stability and resilience to ensure operational safety.

He said that the challenges facing THSRC today are completely different from those at the start of operations 20 years ago. He expressed confidence that in the critical years ahead, the company will continue to break new ground while balancing upgrades and operations, allowing the high-speed rail to move forward and develop sustainably and steadily.

Additionally, THSRC's written report analyzed recent operational anomalies. In 2025, among operational incidents attributable to THSRC, only three resulted in delays of more than 30 minutes. The rate of operational anomalies attributable to THSRC with delays over 30 minutes is lower than the average for Japan's Shinkansen. Easily aging materials have been comprehensively replaced, and personnel training has been strengthened. The increase in the number of operational incidents in 2025 is mostly due to external factors such as natural disasters. THSRC's equipment maintenance and operational safety management remain stable, with ongoing rolling reviews and improvements. (Editor: Huang Mingxi) 1150604