2021 Hualien train derailment

Hualien train derailment
The derailed Taroko Express trainset,
as seen from outside the entrance to the tunnel
Map
Details
Date2 April 2021
09:28 NST (01:28 UTC)
LocationQingshui Tunnel, Xiulin
Hualien County[1]
Coordinates24°13′02″N 121°41′18″E / 24.2171°N 121.6883°E / 24.2171; 121.6883
CountryTaiwan
LineNorth-link line, Eastern Trunk line
Between Heren and Chongde stations (51.45 km (31.97 mi) from Su'aoxin station)
OperatorTaiwan Railways Administration
OwnerTaiwan Railways Administration
Service408 Taroko Express bound for Taitung
Incident typeDerailment, collision
CauseCollision with truck that rolled down slope onto track[2]
Statistics
Trains1
Vehicles1
Passengers494[3][a]
Crew4[6]
Deaths49[4]
Injured202[5]
Route map
Legend
km
47.5
 Heren
New Heren Tunnel
Heren Tunnel
Daqingshui Brook
51.45
 Crash site
New Qingshui Tunnel
Qingshui Tunnel
Shigong Brook
New Chongde Tunnel
Chongde Tunnel
57.6
 Chongde

On 2 April 2021, at 09:28 NST (01:28 UTC), a Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) derailed at the north entrance of Qingshui Tunnel in Heren Section, Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, killing 49 people and injuring at least two others, making it the deadliest railway accident in Taiwan in terms of confirmed deaths.[6][7][8][9][5][10][11]

At the time of the derailment, the train was carrying 494 passengers.[3] The eight-carriage train derailed after colliding with a construction truck that had fallen down a slope onto the tracks north of Hualien City; the train came to rest in the tunnel, with severe damage and many casualties.[12] The incident was primarily due to human factors and was preventable, as an investigation from The New York Times revealed that it was "systemic failures at a government agency" including "a culture of complacency and weak oversight", that had made the disaster possible.[13]

  1. ^ "台鐵太魯閣號事故50死 受困乘客全救出【更新】 | 社會 | 重點新聞 | 中央社 CNA" [50 dead in Taiwan Railway Taroko accident, all trapped passengers rescued [Update] | Society | Key News | Central News Agency CNA]. www.cna.com.tw. 2 April 2021. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Taiwan train crash: dozens dead after express service derails in tunnel". the Guardian. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Some 120 passengers were standing in derailed Taiwan train". mainichi.jp. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  4. ^ "太魯閣號事故遺骸DNA比對出爐 罹難者確認49人" [DNA Matching Results of Taroko Express Derailment Released, Death Toll reduced to 49]. www.cna.com.tw. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Death toll revised to 50 in train crash as human remains identified". focustaiwan.tw. 4 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Bloomberg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Passenger train carrying 490 derails in Taiwan, killing at least 50 and injuring dozens". CNN. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference cna0402 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Amy Qin; Amy Chang Chien (1 April 2021). "Taiwan Train Derails in Tunnel, Killing at Least 1 Person". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Factbox: Taiwan's worst train accidents". Reuters. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference apnews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ft20210402 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Qin, Amy; Chien, Amy Chang; Myers, Steven Lee (19 July 2021). "This Train Crash Killed 49 People. It Didn't Have to Happen". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 February 2023.


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