Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

On March 4, the Taipei City Government (TCG) commissioned a group of experts to implement the final round of safety inspections for the Maokong Gondola. The inspection work took the entire day and involved eleven experts commissioned by the city government.
The inspection report submitted by the team members listed three major items in need of adjustments. These issues must be addressed before further steps could be taken in the direction of resuming operations.
After reviewing the report, TCG requested the agencies in charge of the cable system’s construction (New Construction Office) and operations (Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation) to implement all necessary changes, following the suggestions by experts.
The Maokong Gondola will not resume its service unless the experts give the green light after making sure that the aforementioned issues have been dealt with.
The inspection procedure comprised document reviews, on-site examinations, on-site tests, and simulation of emergencies. To the surprise of staff and inspection personals, the visit coincided with a real earthquake at 8:30 AM.
After the initial tremor, TRTC immediately implemented the standard operating procedures for earthquake by first suspending the service, followed by inspections of equipments and resumption of operations. The members of the team were satisfied by the timely response of staff members.