Taiwan High Speed Rail Signal Failure Delays Over 114,000 Passengers, Triggers Millions in Refunds

A signal system malfunction on Taiwan's High-Speed Rail on May 25 caused widespread delays, impacting more than 114,000 passengers and resulting in millions of dollars in potential refunds. The disruption began early in the morning after maintenance work on the automatic train control equipment. A failure to receive a positioning signal for a switch led to a safety mechanism engaging, locking the system's path.

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The signal system malfunction occurred after the replacement of power modules for the switch control box (SMC) during scheduled maintenance.

This issue extended to the adjacent track due to a lateral protection mechanism, further complicating the situation. Despite efforts by maintenance crews, the system remained unresponsive, prompting the establishment of an emergency response center. Repairs continued into the early hours of May 26, with the replacement of several power modules and other components finally restoring the signal system to normal operation.

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The system initiated a fail-safe protection mechanism, resulting in a path lock.

During the disruption, Taiwan High Speed Rail implemented a reduced service schedule, running three trains per hour in each direction. Despite these measures, the actual passenger volume reached 184,000, over 90% of the initially projected 200,000. The company announced that tickets delayed by more than five minutes would be eligible for fee-free refunds. In total, 122 operational trains ran that day, a reduction of 34 from the scheduled 156, with approximately 66,161 passengers qualifying for refunds amounting to NT$35,259,441.

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All tickets meeting the 'delay greater than 5 minutes' refund standard could be processed without a handling fee.