TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is searching for the owner of two wandering cattle that its trains hit on the mornings of Thursday (March 30) and Friday (March 31) to demand reparations.
UDN reported that the unmarked cattle were hit on Thursday at 6:15 a.m. and Friday at 5:34 a.m. after intruding on tracks between Fuli and Chishang stations. The incidents occurred within 1 kilometer of each other, and both cattle died.
The train that hit a cow on Thursday was a local train numbered 4508 travelling from Yuli, Hualien to Taitung. The impact dented the train’s cowcatcher and delayed the train by 8 minutes.
The train that hit a cow on Friday was a Taroko Express numbered 401 travelling north from Taitung. The train suffered damage to its nose, though it did not prevent it from driving.
At Hualien Station, a Puyuma Express replaced the train to finish the rest of the journey. This caused a 57-minute delay.
The Railway Police Bureau has launched an investigation following the incidents in an effort to find the owner of the cattle. However, the police encountered some difficulty as the cattle were unmarked, and cattle farmers in the area all denied being their owner.
The TRA was cited as saying that similar incidents occur every few years, with the majority happening in Hualien and Taitung. In the event of train damage, the TRA requests reparation from cattle owners and issue fines between NT$1,500 (US$49) and NT$7,500 according to the Railway Act.