Kaohsiung rain causes trees to hit light rail; netizens suggest smart monitoring

A severe downpour in Kaohsiung led to trees along the light rail line toppling, causing a minor collision with a passing train. The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. on August 23, when a light rail train traveling between the C24 (Aihe Heart Station) and C23 (Longhua Elementary School Station) was lightly struck by a fallen tree. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The train service was temporarily halted for about an hour before normal operations resumed. This event has prompted discussions about the safety of the light rail infrastructure and the management of trees in the vicinity.

The local group "Kaohsiung Good Day" pointed out that several trees along the light rail route have fallen previously, but these incidents typically occurred after train services had already been suspended due to strong winds. This time, however, the extreme rainfall, combined with strong gusts from a low-pressure system in the Taiwan Strait, likely loosened the trees' roots, causing them to fall.

"Kaohsiung Good Day" noted that during Typhoon Shantu in 2024, 13 rain trees along the light rail line fell. In response, the MRT Bureau installed AI-powered real-time monitoring devices on 177 large rain trees along the Dashun Road section and 23 small-leaf barringtonias in the museum road section in 2025. These devices collect data on tree tilt angles and transmit it hourly. However, the trees that fell in the recent incident were among 67 rain trees planted during light rail construction in 2022 and were not equipped with these monitoring systems, preventing any prior warning.

With approximately 550 trees surrounding the light rail line, "Kaohsiung Good Day" suggested that the cost and risk control should be considered to determine whether more smart monitoring devices should be installed to prevent future incidents.