A Taichung court has handed down a five-year prison sentence for attempted murder after a passenger shoved a station worker off a platform into the path of an oncoming train — a rare case of violence against Taiwan's rail staff.

• A dispute over ticketing at Taiwan Railway's Wuquan station in Taichung turned violent last October.
• The passenger rammed the worker with his elbow and body, knocking him onto the tracks, then fled the scene.
• The worker survived because the incoming train braked in time, but suffered broken bones including a shattered heel.
• Railway police tracked the man down and arrested him; prosecutors charged him with attempted murder.
• In court he denied trying to kill anyone, claiming the worker lost his footing, though he admitted he had done wrong.

Outlook: The verdict can still be appealed, and the case adds to pressure for better protection of frontline rail staff.