Despite repeated technical failures, the Muzha-Neihu MRT Line will not be shut down during the Deaflympics, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin announced Tuesday. 'As the system upgrades carried out by the Canadian contractor Bombardier over the past two weeks have borne fruit, the Muzha-Neihu metro line will remain in operation during the Deaflympics,' Hau said at a news conference. The mayor said the system has become more stable after a series of upgrades, including ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) network optimization, which will confine problems to a specific section of the line or a single station when a signal fails instead of grounding the whole system. The upgrade also includes the installation of a second uninterrupted power system (UPS) at all of the line's 24 stations to ensure the system's operation stability, Hau said. Moreover, the mayor said, the contractor has also adjusted relevant parameters and upgraded computer software programs to improve system stability. Technical glitches, however, have continued to plague the line over the past two days, after it had suspended operations over the past two weekends (Aug. 22-23 and Aug. 29-30) to enable the contractor to fine tune the system's software and conduct dynamic and static testing. On Monday, a false alarm sounded at 6:53 a.m. when a train passed Jiannan Road Station and again at 7: 34 p.m. when a train reached Hsinhai Station. Moreover, the concrete base under the train tracks at Zhongshan Junior High School was damaged at 2:28 p.m. On Tuesday, two minor technical problems occurred in one hour -- a low tire pressure alarm that rang at 7: 56 a.m. when a train arrived at Jiannan Road Station. Another false alarm sounded at 8: 56 a.m., indicating there was an unidentified object on the tracks when a northbound train stopped at Linguang Station, The problem was resolved at 9: 07 a.m. Neither mishap brought the entire system to a stop. The metro line, which combines the Muzha section that was built by French contractor Matra Co. in the 1990s and the new Neihu section built by Bombardier, has experienced eight major emergency shutdowns since its inauguration July 4. Many of the problems have been attributed to problems in integrating the two automated lines' control and electrical systems. The 21st Summer Deaflympics will take place in Taipei Sept.5-15. It will mark the first time that the capital city has ever hosted such a large-scale international sports extravaganza. 