Taipei: Rail services on the South Link Line in southern Taiwan have been partially suspended since Monday morning due to flooding amid heavy rainfall, state-run Taiwan Railway Corp. said.

According to Focus Taiwan, the train operator first announced suspension of services between Fangliao Station in Pingtung County and Taitung Station in Taitung County at 6:27 a.m. Monday after floods were reported at two sections along the rail line at 6:11 a.m. Additionally, a mudslide on the tracks just outside Dawu Station in Taitung left them flooded in muddy water, evidenced by a photo taken near the station Monday morning.

Two morning services originating in Taitung were forced to return to Taitung from north of Dawu, while one Taitung-bound train was turned back at Dawu. Passengers were then taken to Chaozhou Station in Pingtung, Taiwan Railway said in a statement at 8:40 a.m. All trains running in a clockwise direction in Taiwan Railway's network around the island were to terminate at Taitung, while trains running in a counterclockwise direction would travel only to Fangliao, the train operator added.

As of 4 p.m., Taiwan Railway's website showed that service between Fangliao and Taitung remained suspended, with the estimated time of resumption "under evaluation." In its latest heavy rain alerts issued at 2:55 p.m., the Central Weather Administration warned of torrential rain - 24-hour accumulated rainfall exceeding 350 millimeters or three-hour rainfall of more than 200 mm - in Taitung through Monday night.

As of 3 p.m., a location in Taitung's southernmost Daren Township recorded total rainfall of 331 mm Monday. North of Daren, 281 mm of rainfall was recorded in Zhiben and 279.5 mm in Dawu, according to data from the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The CWA's weather advisory warned of landslides, falling rocks, and sudden surges in river water levels in mountainous areas, along with floods in low-lying areas after days of rain.