Taoyuan:A university student has been indicted for accessing Taiwan High Speed Rail's radio communications system and sending a false alarm that caused four trains to make emergency stops in April.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office is seeking a two-year prison sentence for the student, identified by the surname Lin. Another individual, surnamed Chen, was also indicted for allegedly assisting Lin in accessing the system.
Prosecutors reported that Lin utilized a radio programmed with system parameters to enter the TETRA communications network, a digital radio standard used by railways and emergency services, at the Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station on April 5 at 10:27 p.m. At 11:23 p.m., while on a bus near the Taichung High Speed Rail Station, Lin allegedly transmitted a "General Alarm" signal.
This signal was automatically relayed to nearby trains, prompting the drivers of three passenger trains and one out-of-service train to manually apply their emergency brakes, resulting in delays totaling 48 minutes.
Following a report from railway police on April 13, investigators conducted searches on April 28 at three locations connected to Lin, resulting in the seizure of radio equipment and electronic devices.
Chen is accused of providing the radio and system parameters, though prosecutors found no evidence that he was aware of Lin's intention to transmit the alarm. Lin faces charges under the Railway Act for exploiting vulnerabilities in the railway communications system, while Chen was charged under the Criminal Code for aiding unauthorized system access. Prosecutors noted Lin's actions stemmed from curiosity about radio technology, but they ultimately disrupted railway operations and impacted passengers' rights.