A protest by train drivers in Taiwan resulted in major delays on Valentine’s Day, affecting some 60,000 passengers.
The drivers have been demanding improvements to railroad crossing safety systems and work conditions. But they say they are frustrated with a lack of response from the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA).
Drivers protested by reducing their speed when driving through railroad crossings on Saturday. That resulted in major delays for train travelers.
President Ma Ying-jeou on Sunday called on Premier Mao Chi-kuo to contact the transportation ministry to resolve the issues before the Lunar New Year vacation, which begins this coming week.
Cabinet Spokesman Sun Lih-chyun says that Premier Mao has apologized for the delays and has directed the transportation ministry to ensure there will be no delays to holiday train travel.
Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Chen Jian-yu says that TRA will meet on Monday with an organization that represents the drivers, and that the ministry will deal with the lack of manpower.