Taipei: The Control Yuan on Tuesday censured the Taipei City Government Department of Rapid Transit Systems for damage on the Circular Line after a major earthquake on April 3, 2024. Control Yuan members Jao Yung-ching and Yeh Yi-jin revealed during a Thursday press conference that various parties, including the competent authority, authority in charge, construction supervisor, architectural designers, and construction contractor, should bear different degrees of liability for the incident.
According to Focus Taiwan, the damage occurred when a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Taiwan, causing box girders to disconnect at 11 locations on the line. This resulted in damaged railway lines and 139 devices, leading to an eight-month suspension of operations between the Line's Banqiao and Zhonghe stations. The Control Yuan attributed the severe damage to BES Engineering Corporation's failure to adhere to the approved blueprint.
The Control Yuan urged authorities to seek compensation as per the contract and hold the company accountable for compromising public safety. It also criticized the construction supervisor, Taipei rapid transit department's first construction division, for not overseeing the project in compliance with regulations and failing to fulfill its responsibility for second-level quality control, which led to the damage.
The Control Yuan committed to following up on compensation matters to protect public rights. It emphasized the importance of public construction quality for safety and urged relevant institutions to learn from this case to prevent future incidents.
Chen Chien-hung, head of the Taipei rapid transit department's first construction division, responded that both the department and division fulfilled their quality control responsibilities, supported by verifiable documentation. Meanwhile, New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih announced that the city has hired lawyers to prepare for a lawsuit against BES Engineering.
Chen also stated that Taipei will file a lawsuit against the company at the end of March. The two cities plan to demand a total of NT$1.927 billion (US$58.42 million) from BES Engineering.