Air and rail traffic around Taiwan were disrupted today while power cuts occurred across the country as Typhoon Kong-rey, predicted to make landfall in eastern Taiwan this afternoon, continued edging closer to the country.
A total of 241 passenger and cargo flights departing from or arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport were canceled today due to the typhoon, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said.
As of 9:30am, 109 inbound flights, 103 outbound flights and 29 cargo flights had been canceled, the company said.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan Railway Corp also canceled all express trains on its Western Trunk Line, Eastern Trunk Line, South-Link Line and attached branches due to the typhoon.
Before noon today, commuter trains between Keelung and Changhua County were operating on a limited schedule that was subject to change depending on the typhoon's strength.
All services after 12pm were to be suspended, the company said yesterday night.
Meanwhile, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp also altered today’s schedule, with trains running every half an hour from terminal stations in the north and south.
All high-speed trains today are to operate without seat reservations, except for business-class cars.
Taoyuan Metro Corp also announced that all express and extended service trains on the Taoyuan Airport MRT would be canceled.
Those needing to travel to or from the airport can take the commuter train, which runs every 15 minutes.
The pre-flight check-in and luggage transportation services usually available at Taipei Main Station and New Taipei Industrial Park Station have also been canceled.
The Taipei Metro today announced the suspension of its services on elevated rail sections beginning from 11am due to strong winds.
The metro system's elevated rail sections are the Wenhu Line, the section between Yuanshan and Tamsui stations on the Tamsui-Xinyi Line, as well as Xinbeitou and Xioubitan stations.
Services on the underground sections of the metro system were to continue, but with longer intervals between trains, Taipei Metro said.
More than 153,000 households across Taiwan have experienced power cuts with about 63,500 households still without electricity of 12pm, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) said.
Among the hardest-hit areas were Taitung and Hualien counties in eastern Taiwan, where as many as 67,000 households experienced a blackout at one point, the state-run company said.
To restore power, Taipower deployed almost 10,000 personnel and more than 5,000 vehicles.
However, the extreme weather and nightfall are anticipated to slow down repair work, with full restoration efforts expected to continue into tomorrow morning, Taipower said.
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