Taichung Metro Green Line Suffers 7 Malfunctions in 8 Months; Safety Questioned

Taichung Metro's Green Line is facing mounting scrutiny over its safety record, with city councilors demanding urgent improvements after a series of malfunctions. In less than eight months, the driverless system has reportedly suffered seven breakdowns, prompting fears about its reliability and passenger safety.

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Many citizens are asking if the Green Line's safety is compromised and how it will be improved.

Multiple Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilors, including Chen Shu-hua, Hsieh Chia-yi, Hsiao Lung-tse, Chen Ya-hui, and Chen Yu-jung, have voiced strong concerns. They pointed to incidents in early and mid-August involving faulty platform screen doors and control anomalies, as well as repeated signaling system failures in June and March. Malfunctions also occurred late last year, including power issues and train failures.

"Many citizens are asking if the Green Line's safety is compromised and how it will be improved," stated Chen Shu-hua. She highlighted that an audit report indicated an increase in high-risk emergency repair cases for the Green Line, from 0.24% in 2024 to 0.32% in 2025. Furthermore, repair times have significantly increased from 241 minutes to 373 minutes, suggesting growing maintenance difficulties.

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the audit report indicated an increase in high-risk emergency repair cases for the Green Line, from 2024 0.24% to 2025 0.32%, and repair times have increased from 241 minutes to 373 minutes.

Councilor Hsieh Chia-yi noted that the frequent breakdowns, including five incidents this year alone and two within a 48-hour period in June, are alarming. She urged the metro company to thoroughly investigate the cause of each failure and ensure equipment safety. Hsieh also criticized the lack of clear information provided to passengers during disruptions, leaving them uncertain about what is happening and whether they should disembark, adding to the inconvenience of finding alternative transportation.

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Taichung Metro's frequent breakdowns, including five malfunctions this year and two within 48 hours in June, are alarming.

Taichung Metro Corporation Chairman Yen Pang-chieh acknowledged that recent failures were primarily linked to the signaling system. He assured that the company is working with the original equipment manufacturer to inspect the equipment and restart operations, with ongoing technical assistance from the manufacturer. The company stated that it has already begun equipment inspection and a special restart process with the manufacturer.

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the recent malfunctions are most importantly related to the signaling system.