TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The first made-in-Taiwan safety system to detect alien objects on rail tracks and slow down the speed of oncoming trains has been tested successfully, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said Saturday (July 23).

The new Temporary Speed Restriction (TSR) system was tested at night July 21-22 on a track in north Taiwan, CNA reported. As a result, 15 sets of the system will be installed at high-risk locations by the end of 2023.

The equipment, designed and developed by the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, succeeded in slowing down and halting trains traveling at different speeds, according to TRA.

Taiwan’s rail network has been hit by a spate of accidents involving people or vehicles crossing the tracks, while many of the rail routes pass through areas susceptible to landslides, especially during heavy rain, typhoons, and earthquakes.

In a separate development, the railway police said that two students in Kaohsiung who had “celebrated” their graduation by lying on rail tracks and posting the footage online, could each face a fine of up to NT$50,000 (US$1,600).