By Huang Yi-ching and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections.The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said.The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating.
A Taiwan High Speed Rail train is pictured in an unnamed location on Dec. 10, 2020.
Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top of the hour, 20 minutes past and 40 minutes past, it said.Passengers who arrive at their destination 30 to 60 minutes late would be offered a 50 percent refund, while those who arrive more than an hour late or do not use their tickets may receive a full refund, the HSR said.
Passengers with reserved-seat tickets who board trains today could also receive a refund of the price difference at any HSR ticket office within one year of the ticket's departure date, the railway said.
