Kaohsiung, Aug. 18 (CNA) A rapid transit line connecting Taiwan's main airport and the greater Taipei area will be unable to open by the end of this year as previously scheduled, Transportation Minister Chen Jian-yu (陳建宇) said Tuesday.



The exact opening date will be decided after a meeting by a team of scholars and experts at the end of August, Chen told reporters Tuesday while inspecting transportation construction projects in southern Taiwan.



The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said last year that the Taoyuan International Airport MRT will become operational by the end of 2015.



But the minister said the project has been experiencing software design glitches that have contributed to the instability of the line's signaling system and will not be ready by the end of the year.



Chen's remarks came a day after a construction vehicle, which entered the construction site of the airport MRT to test its electrical equipment, derailed after the control system failed to detect the vehicle.



Chen said the accident was caused by problems with the line's software design, which needs to be improved.



The line has been under construction since 2006. There are 14 stations along the 35-kilometer line that links Taipei Main Station and Taoyuan Airport, Taiwan's main international gateway.



(By Wang Shu-fen and Christie Chen)

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