TAIPEI, Taiwan — A Taiwanese government accident report says the driver of a train involved in a fatal derailment last month had disengaged his train’s speed governor just before entering a turn at almost twice the recommended speed and jumping the tracks.
Monday’s report didn’t explicitly say why the driver took the step, but said the train’s air compressor was acting abnormally, leading to a lack of pressure in the air cylinder and propulsion that came and went.
With the automatic train protection system disengaged, the driver was left to control the train by hand.
The report said the driver reported his action and a dispatcher questioned whether that was a good idea. Just minutes later, the train derailed.
The driver is under investigation in the Oct. 21 accident that killed 18.
The Associated Press
