Disaster Prevention
Disaster Prevention with Professional Response
Factors affecting the safety of THSR trains can be divided into three categories, including: natural factors, human factors and equipment abnormality (see the table below). In accordance with the overall prevention and contingency plan for the three categories of disasters, the Company puts the safety of passengers and personnel first, formulates emergency procedures to respond to actual disasters, and takes various measures to improve and resume operations through cooperation between internal and external units.
Emergency Response Flow Chart for Various Disasters
THSRC has adopted relevant laws and regulations on disaster prevention and fire safety as the basis for the formulation of internal plans and measures, and each station or depot implements various disaster prevention tasks as per the internal plans. The standard operating procedures for disaster response are also independently inspected for safety by international experts in the final inspection phase to ensure that the procedures can cope with various potential disasters that affect transportation safety. All operating procedures are regularly inspected and revised in accordance with regulations, and all inspection operations are completed according to the frequency of inspection during the epidemic period in compliance with epidemic prevention regulations to ensure the reliability of equipment. The relevant disaster or emergency response operation rules and procedures of each unit shall be reviewed at least once every three years, and the effectiveness shall be periodically reviewed through legal compliance operations every quarter, the relevant emergency response procedures shall be continuously improved at each emergency response operation review.
Natural Disaster Prevention Measures
THSRC's trains are equipped with Disaster Warning System (DWS), if earthquakes, rockfalls, landslide, road vehicle intrusion and other safety-related danger signals are detected, the automatic train control system will be triggered to send a stop command to stop the train. Intrusion Sensor include three types of sensors, including rockfall, landslide and road vehicle intrusion, which are installed on road sections with higher risk according to the characteristics, such as a total of 28 road vehicle intrusion detectors were set up above the tunnel portal or on the viaduct with high risk of vehicle intrusion. In 2023, THSRC completed the three-year repair project of the disaster warning system to ensure the stability and reliability of the system, and there were no train delay caused by abnormal intrusion detector. In the Hualien earthquake that occurred in April 2024, the our DWS immediately suspended the operation and activated the emergency response measures after detecting the earthquake warning, and coordinated with the each unit through the operation control center to complete the emergency response and safety inspection within 5 hours and resume according to the schedule.
DWS Framework
Notes:
1. SCER: Signaling and Communication Equipment Room
2. ISCER: Intermediate Signaling and Communication Equipment Room
3. SCR: Station Control Room
4. SCH: Signaling and Communication Hut
Relevant information on the actual natural disaster events affecting the THSRC operation in 2023 is as follows.
Disaster Events Affecting Operations
HSR Slope Safety Maintenance
THSRC established Taskforce of HSR Slope Safety Assessment and executed HSR Slope Safety Assessment Plan to audit the slope safety. Several improvement plans are conducted based on the evaluation report. Installation of horizontal drains for the slope in HSR Earthwork Section has been completed in March 2023 to reduce the groundwater accumulation effectively, and completed the upgrade of the slope automatic monitoring system in September 2023, which strengthen resilience to disasters. Slope preventive improvement project were carrying on, including the completion of the permanent slope restoration project of TK126 followed by the improvement of three slopes at TK93 to enhance slope stability.
As for man-made disasters, THSRC not only develops a "Material Man-Made Security Incident or Terrorist Attack Contingency Plan" to facilitate coordination with government agencies and to set up operational mechanisms, but also intensifies safety training planning according to different scenarios such as "suspicious bags and explosions", "poisonous chemicals" or "train or station random homicide"; when actual man-made disasters occur, different execution plans are drafted according to crisis prevention, actual response, clean-up and restoration, etc. The relevant instructions are as follows:
- Crisis prevention stage: THSRC police are engaged to assist in maintaining station order and safety of train services, and a security company is also contracted to maintain order at stations, right-of-way of equipment, and safety of train services. In addition, dedicated personnel are assigned to monitor the closed-circuit television cameras at various stations, important server rooms along the rail, or tunnel entrances.
- Actual response stage: In the case of man-made safety incidents, THSRC will immediately activate the crisis management and control mode. The key actions include rescue, evacuation guidance, isolation of the scene, access control, and notification of railway police.
- Clean-up and recovery stage: After the on-site investigation and evidence search are completed and approved by the judicial authority, the on-site clean-up and recovery operations will be carried out. In the early stage of resumption of operations, inspections and patrols will be enhanced, and the scale of the police on duty will be increased as support.
Regarding the handling of abnormal equipment, THSRC carries out the repair and maintenance of circuit boards/modules of all train cars of the train system, the repair and maintenance of the switch of the signal system and electronic equipment, and turnout equipment reliability improvement project through the electronic maintenance center, while auditing and inspecting the maintenance records to strictly control the safety of the transportation equipment.
In addition to planning overall preventative and contingency measures based on three types of hazard factors such as natural factors, human factors and equipment abnormalities, the THSRC has also conduct regular and unscheduled drills for various hypothetical scenarios, so that employees at all levels are familiar with the emergency response procedures for various kinds of emergencies. In 2023, we expanded safety training and disaster prevention and rescue exercises to improve the emergency response capabilities of various units. We continue to refer to the experience of various railway incidents at home and abroad and the "Taiwan High Speed Rail Overall Disaster Prevention and Response Plan" approved by the Disaster Management Council of the Executive Yuan, the laws and regulations, the requirements of government units and the review of abnormal incidents of THSRC, to formulate an annual disaster prevention and rescue exercise training plan. We also plan and promote various disaster prevention training and rescue exercises with foreign aid units in various places to familiarize ourselves with the joint command and response mechanism, and improve on-site rescue and prevention capabilities. In 2023, THSRC completed a total of 100 disaster prevention and rescue drills (training) at various stations, depots, and routes. In response to the review of the Southeast Cement Construction Incident, the "operation change passenger transfer and connection drill" have been added this year compared with 2022.
Safety Training Categories in 2023
2023 Disaster Prevention and Rescue Drills Training Record
Large-scale Joint Drills and Training Events in 2023
THSRC conducts various disaster prevention drill exercise annually to simulate the response measures after disasters occur, so as to reduce the impact of accidents and improve the overall disaster prevention and response capabilities. After 3 months discussion and preparation, on the night of September 7, 2023, the "Nangang Station Major Security Incident and Fire Drill" was conducted, simulating the discovery of suspicious parcels in accordance with the H.O.T. principle (H: whether it was hidden, O: Whether it is obviously suspicious, T: whether it is a subject that can be seen in the usual typical location). Upon confirmation, several actions have to be taken including notify the Fifth Investigation Team of the Criminal Police Bureau to remove the parcel and block the scene, and the fire information delivered when the train enters the station, how the train crew cooperates with the station to evacuate the passengers on the train and how the station performs the operation change connection process. Over 200 individuals participated in the exercise, including relevant employees of the company and joint mobilization by the Taipei Municipal Fire and Health Bureau, Railway Police Bureau, Railway Bureau, and Transportation Safety Committee.
In order to implement consolation and immediate medical care for injured passengers and their families when major disasters happen, THSRC has established the “Care and Consolation Team” in North, Central, and South part of Taiwan to provide relevant support and company, including care and consolation telephone lines, family contact, medical assistance, legal consultation, and funeral and other consultation on various needs.
The command of the overall operation system of THSRC is controlled by the Taoyuan Operation Management Center, including route control, signaling and safety interlock, power control, communication, data transmission or monitoring alarms equipment. Through 24/7 real-time monitoring, THSRC keeps abreast of the status of the operation and night maintenance along the entire HSR line while maintaining close contact with the station control centers, depot control centers, and external emergency supporting units to ensure transportation safety.