After Taipei MRT Random Attack, Ministry of Transportation Proposes 4 Measures Including AI Early Warning

(CNA reporter Huang Chao-wen, Taipei, June 25) Following a random attack case in Taipei City on December 19 last year, the Ministry of Transportation held a meeting yesterday and established four major improvement measures. These include strengthening notification, enhancing the functions of the joint disaster prevention center, improving emergency response to security threats, and introducing a technology-based early warning mechanism, with an evaluation of introducing AI image recognition and intelligent monitoring.

The Ministry of Transportation held its first "Rail Transit Operations Disaster Prevention and Relief Coordination Meeting" for 115 (2026) yesterday. In response to the issues highlighted by the "December 19 Taipei MRT Random Attack Incident" in 114 (2025), such as cross-agency notification delays, insufficient initial response, limited and infrequent drill scenarios, and lack of technological early warning, the Railway Bureau proposed subsequent improvement measures to fully build a highly resilient and reassuring national-level rail transport safety environment for the public.

The Ministry of Transportation stated in a press release today that after the "December 19 incident," Minister Chen Shih-kai attached great importance to the existing loopholes in the safety protection of public transportation venues. He instructed that a fundamental review and improvement should be conducted from six major aspects: improving the emergency notification mechanism for sudden incidents, strengthening the response capabilities of stations, building an efficient notification model, increasing the frequency of drills and incorporating diverse disaster scenarios, evaluating the use of technological tools to assist in monitoring and early warning, and strengthening legal enforcement and unified command systems.

Yesterday's Rail Disaster Prevention Coordination Meeting, chaired by Deputy Minister of Transportation Wu Sheng-yuan, aimed to integrate the disaster prevention and relief resources of various rail transit operators. Through institutionalized regular and emergency coordination mechanisms, the resilience and safety of the rail system are ensured.

The Ministry of Transportation pointed out that in addition to continuously reviewing the disaster prevention mechanisms and cross-agency coordination effectiveness of each rail system, the Railway Bureau, in line with and implementing the Minister's instructions, has established four major core aspects of specific improvement measures following the "December 19 incident."

First, strengthening the notification mechanism: The joint disaster prevention and relief response plans for co-located stations will be comprehensively revised to optimize the synchronized notification process between control centers, superior authorities, and adjacent areas, ensuring timely and transparent crisis information.

Second, enhancing the functions of the joint disaster prevention center: Practical training and duty checks for disaster prevention center personnel will be improved. Each operating entity will be required to establish regular and backup deployment mechanisms to strengthen initial autonomous response capabilities. Standardized management and unified command principles will be promoted to gradually establish a more comprehensive cross-agency collaboration model.

Third, improving emergency response measures: The frequency of live drills for composite disasters such as indiscriminate human attacks, toxic gas, and fire and water incidents will be increased, incorporating diverse scenarios into regular joint drills.

Fourth, introducing a technology-based early warning mechanism: The introduction of AI image recognition and intelligent monitoring systems will be evaluated to eliminate blind spots in surveillance. This will be combined with security patrols and police-community joint defense to build a three-dimensional safety protection network.

The Ministry of Transportation emphasized that ensuring passenger safety is a non-negotiable primary responsibility of public transportation services. It will supervise all rail transit organizations to implement the various improvement measures with the highest standards, comprehensively upgrading from "systems, management, and technology" to create a national-level public transportation safety environment that reassures the public and society.

Zhang Wen, 27 and unemployed, threw smoke bombs and wielded a knife on December 19 last year in the vicinity of Taipei Main Station and Zhongshan Station on the Taipei MRT, resulting in three deaths and multiple injuries. Zhang Wen eventually fell to his death from the rooftop of Eslite Ximen Store. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150625

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