# TAIWAN | High Speed Rail



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Taiwan Govt Creates Task Force To Oversee High Speed Rail *
4 October 2005

TAIPEI (Dow Jones)--The Taiwan government has created a task force to oversee a NT$480 billion project to build a high-speed rail system linking the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung. 

The task force, which will be led by Premier Frank Hsieh, plans to increase the government's number of seats on Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp.'s (2633.OT) 12-member board from the two it has now, Hsieh said in a statement Monday. 

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications will work out a 'reasonable' number of seats for the government that corresponds with its 11.9% stake in Taiwan High Speed Rail, Hsieh said. The government controls the 11.9% stake directly and through companies in which it has a stake of over 50%. 

Taiwan High Speed's shareholders will elect a new board in May 2006. 

The government wants more control over the progress of the project and effective 'crisis management,' the premier said. The task force was created after the government-linked China Aviation Development Foundation and China Technical Consultants Inc. together injected NT$7.5 billion in Taiwan High Speed Rail, which was holding its latest fund-raising round. 

The builder of the island's first bullet train has delayed fund-raising plans several times after it failed to commit its shareholders to provide more capital as scheduled. 

'After the government helped raise money for the project, we want to oversee the entire project and ensure the train begins to operate next year,' said Executive Yuan Secretary-general Cho Jung-tai Tuesday. 

'The government is our partner anyway, according to the original build-operate-transfer contract,' said Ted Chia, a public affairs assistant vice president of Taiwan High Speed Rail. 

The task force, which will meet once every two weeks, will gather officials from the transport, finance, interior and other ministries. 

The project's five founding shareholders combined now own a 28.5% stake. Of the founders, the largest shareholder, Continental Engineering Corp. (2526.TW), owns only 7.2% in the project. 

According to Cho, the government plans to replace one of its current representative controllers on the board, Kuang-Yu Chang, with the deputy minister of the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Yuh-Lin Lee. 

Cho added that the government will assist the company to resolve its differences with Japan's Shinkansen consortium, which is responsible for the system's core electrical system. In September, Taiwan High Speed Rail said the service's launch will be delayed by a year to October 2006 because of delays in completing the electrical system. 

The entire project is 86% completed, with the core electrical system behind schedule, the Cabinet said in Monday's statement. By the end of August, 63% of the core electrical system was complete, said Chia.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Taiwan Bullet Train Shoots Through 300km/h Speed Test*

*Taiwan's 'bullet train' shoots through speed test at 300 kph *

TAIPEI, Oct 30 (AFP) - Taiwan's "bullet train" for the first time passed its targeted speed of 300 kilometers (180 miles) per hour in a test run, which investors said was a significant step forward in the delayed construction project. 

The train was put through its paces Saturday on a 25-kilometer section of rail in southern Tainan county, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said in a statement. 

The 345-kilometer (215-mile) bullet train service will link the capital Taipei with the island's second city of Kaohsiung in the south. 

Test runs began earlier this year, and the system, with trains running at an average speed of 300 kilometers an hour, is expected to transport 100 million passengers a year. 

The railway system will be managed by the THSRC for 35 years before it is turned over to state control under the terms of the build-operate-transfer project, the largest of its kind in the world. 

The deal is also important for Japan as it marks the first export of the "bullet train" outside Japan. 

THSRC announced earlier this month that commercial operations of the 13.5 billion US dollar bullet train system, originally slated to begin operation on October 31, 2005, would be delayed for a year largely due to the lower-than-expected progress on the core system.


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

Thats great news!

I'm not so sure about the design though:


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## superchan7 (Jan 21, 2004)

It looks better than the original N700 bullet train in Japan.


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Looks like a hotdog on a bun.


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## IshikawajimaHarima (Aug 3, 2005)

excellent design.


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## Isan (Jul 9, 2004)

High-speed railway of Taiwan

Train


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## mic of Orion (Feb 24, 2005)

Skybean said:


> Looks like a hotdog on a bun.


lol,   

It does sort of, lol...


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Taiwan's 'bullet train' in first public test run at 300 kph *

TAINAN, Taiwan, Nov 6 (AFP) - Premier Frank Hsieh and hundreds of guests and reporters rode Taiwan's "bullet train" Sunday in a public test run to seek support for the project, which is a year behind schedule. 

The Japan-built train reached speeds of more than 300 kilometers per hour (187 mph) for around 25 kilometers on a 60-kilometer section of track in the southern counties of Tainan and Kaohsiung. 

"I could hardly sleep last night when I thought of taking the high-speed train today...Now I'm really touched after having experienced the feeling of riding on a train at more than 300 kilometers per hour," Hsieh told reporters. 

"This also showed the government's determination to support the high-speed rail project is correct," he said, referring to the investment of 7.5 billion Taiwan dollars (223.2 million US) by the government in the 440 billion dollar project. 

The official move has sparked severe criticism of the nature of the build-operate-transfer (BOT) project, the largest of its kind in the world's railway industry. 

In 1998 Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) won the contract to build the system. The corporation is to manage it for 35 years before it is turned over to state control. 

In the same year Japan's Taiwan Shinkansen Consortium won a 3.0 billion US dollar contract to supply the core system -- trains and carriages as well as the signalling, electrification, communications and operation control systems. 

In additional to financial problems, there have also been technical ones. 

THSRC announced in September that the system, originally scheduled to begin operating in October 2005, would be delayed for a year. 

As of the end of September the whole project was 89.7 percent completed, according to statistics released by THSRC. 

The 345-kilometer (215-mile) bullet train service will link the capital Taipei with the island's second city of Kaohsiung in the south. 

Test runs began earlier this year and the system, with trains running at an average speed of 300 kilometers an hour, is expected to transport 100 million passengers a year. 

The deal is also important for Japan as it marks the first export of its "bullet train".


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## stanford (Sep 14, 2002)




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## WotaN (Jun 15, 2004)

What is this pic about? I mean, what is the purpose of keeping 7 train sets on a track one few meters from another?


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## yoyoyo (Jan 17, 2005)




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## Vapour (Jul 31, 2002)

Great aerial picture  I like the colours too ^ ^


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## Bitxofo (Feb 3, 2005)

stanford said:


>


Wonderful photo!!  
kay:


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## staff (Oct 23, 2004)

Great!


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## allan_dude (Apr 14, 2005)

amazing! anyway, are those superstructures earthquake safe?


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## thyrdrail (Jul 25, 2004)

*TAIWAN HIGH SPEED SHINKANSEN TRAIN - ALMOST COMPLETED!!!*

Opening in October. Almost there!!! Everything is just awesome - train design, colors, station designs, tracks, bridges, tunnels, and landscapes.


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## Vapour (Jul 31, 2002)

Superb pictures!


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## Taipei Walker (Mar 7, 2005)

Great pictures, awesome project.

Here's some info about the project (from SSP):
owner: Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation
network: one trunk line from Taipei to Kaohsiung (345 km)
track construction: 73% viaduct (252 km), 18% tunnel (62 km), 9% at grade (31 km)
number of stations: 8 
Taipei, Banciao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung
construction period: 2000 -
construction cost: US$ 16 billion

rolling stock: Taiwan Shinkansen 700T
manufacturers: Kawasaki, Nippon Sharyo, Hitachi
specs: modified body of the shinkansen 700 with the core system of the 500
design speed: 350 km/h
max operating speed: 300 km/h
signaling system: European standard

revenue service:
operating hours: 06:00 - 24:00
2006 target ridership: 148,000 per day
frequency: 10 min
max. economy fare: NT$3.459/km (US$.09/km), Taipei - Kaohsiung = US$35
trains per day: 88 in each direction
non-stop express (Taipei - Kaohsiung): 17 in each direction, 80 min 
regular (Taipei - Kaohsiung): 120 min

official website:
http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/index.asp

Route map:


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## Gatis (Sep 22, 2003)

Cool! Sometimes the interference of this railway on landscape seems just brutal... but then I think - it itself is landscape value.


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## FM 2258 (Jan 24, 2004)

It makes me wonder how this will affect China Airlines, Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT), GreatWing Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Eva Air, Uni Air and TransAsia Airways. Would this greatly reduce the amount of people that want to fly?


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## bluga (Oct 13, 2002)

Welshlad said:


> Is there any reason why pretty much all of it is elevated?? im comparing to CTRL and the TGV network were most of the tracks run on the surface?


Over 95% of the track is elevated because Taiwan is so dense otherwise it would be "low-speed" rail.


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## bluga (Oct 13, 2002)

zergcerebrates said:


> Nice station and train. But as for being the most expensive for both the subway and this HSR its all because of its long delay and corruption rather than the actual cost of the project.


Wrong, even before the delay Taiwan High Speed Rail is still the most expensive project.


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## thyrdrail (Jul 25, 2004)

*Taiwan High - Speed Rail Steams Toward Xmas Launch*

By REUTERS
Published: November 30, 2006


TAOYUAN, Taiwan ( Reuters) - A super-fast rail line, the world's second to use ground-breaking Japanese bullet train technology, is steering toward a year-end service launch in Taiwan after years of delays.

``We expect to have a Christmas gift'' for the people of Taiwan, said Samuel Lin, deputy chief operating officer for the line's builder, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (2633.TWO), at one of the line's first test drives for the public on Thursday.

``We hope our contribution is not only to give convenience to the public. It's another kind of revolutionary development.''

Nearly a decade in the making, the line and its sister line in Japan are the world's fastest using conventional rails, with top speeds of up to 315 kilometers per hour.

The world's fastest commercial train, which uses magnetic levitation technology, is a line capable of speeds of more than 400 kph connecting downtown Shanghai with its suburban airport.

Travel on the Taiwan train's main route, connecting the island's top two cities of Taipei in the north with Kaohsiung in the south, takes some 90 minutes to cover 345 km (214 miles), much less than the current five hours on existing rail service.

During a test run on Thursday -- one of the first times the line has been open to outsiders -- the train flew along its north-to-south route, whizzing past rice fields and palm trees.

Inside the train that seats up to 989, the compartments are quiet and comfortable, much like the line's Japanese counterpart.

In sharp contrast, the train's ride to the present has been anything but smooth, involving numerous cost overruns resulting in a US$15 billion price tag. Technical issues have also dogged the project, including two minor derailments -- both attributed to human error -- in recent weeks during trial runs.

SAFETY ISSUES

Safety has been one of the most recent concerns, with the train's operator required to clear a number of hurdles set by the transportation ministry before it can launch service.

Trains must complete safe test-runs for one month, checking braking ability at stations and meeting other smooth operation conditions before the formal launch will be permitted, a ministry committee decided on Tuesday.

``It's safe. For me it's not a problem,'' said Yvan Beuraert, one of the train's drivers, many of whom come from Europe. ``To have small problems is normal.''

The line will eventually have a dozen stations, with the capacity to handle a train every three to four minutes. Operators are initially aiming for 150,000 passengers a day, which would represent 70 percent of capacity.

Two Japanese consortia, led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (7011.T), were awarded contracts for the tracks, which they built using Japanese bullet train, or Shinkansen, technology.

Many people may initially be drawn to the trains as a sort of tourist attraction. Train watching, too, has become a spectator sport for those living in some of the smaller communities along the route.

In the town of Hsinchu outside Taipei, thousands of people have been gathering each weekend for guided tours of the local station and to watch as trains go by.

``Expectations are high,'' said Ann Li, a public affairs specialist at the rail operator. ``When the train comes, they go 'wow!' and applaud.''

A one-way Taipei-Kaohsiung ticket will cost T$1,490 when service starts, 30 percent less than an economy-class air ticket.


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## spartaan (Jan 22, 2005)

bluga said:


> Over 95% of the track is elevated because Taiwan is so dense otherwise it would be "low-speed" rail.


I think it is more an enginering thing; long distance trackbuilding in a tropic climate is less hard to do with elevated tracks fixed to a steady foundation, becourse the behavior of the tracks is better to calculate.

With elevated tracks there will also be less problems with severe rain, temprature change, earthquakes other traffic, etc.


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## MaLaYSia aNd KoREa!! (Nov 24, 2006)

wow...i like the orangie train..the taiwanese bullet train...cool!


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## yayoo (Aug 23, 2006)

thyrdrail said:


> Nearly a decade in the making, the line and its sister line in Japan are the world's fastest using conventional rails, with top speeds of up to 315 kilometers per hour.


Do not forget that in France and Germany, TGV and German ICE run at 320kph. The new spanish high speed line with the german velaro will open soon with a top speed of 350kph.
The new line in France will open in June 2007. This has been developped for a 320kph speed, but tests are actually running and many high speed lines in France will maybe be upgraded to 360kph.

BTW Congrats' to Taiwan for this Spectacular line! So many bridges, channels, and design stations! That's pure beauty !!!
Well done!!


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## thyrdrail (Jul 25, 2004)

some videos:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_OfB8TMil84&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=v4zOcbHLKPk&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HfT_msJjxog&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YRi1pyZw8is


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## zergcerebrates (Jan 23, 2004)

bluga said:


> Wrong, even before the delay Taiwan High Speed Rail is still the most expensive project.



Whats the main reason for the cost? I'm really curious how they could make it the world's most expensive rail project considering the size of Taiwan. Japan,France, and Germany all have greater HS networks and I'm pretty sure they have more stations and related HS infrastructures than Taiwan. Is it the material, labor, land value, the entire elevated rail reason? enlighten me.


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## SungIEman (Jul 25, 2004)

^ this is just an educated guess, but most likely the HSR project in taiwan was built from ground up, including the track, stations, equipments, personnels, etc... whereas Japan, and EU's HSR uses existing train stations and railroad tracks which greatly reduces the construction cost.


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## KB (Feb 22, 2006)

picture spamming...:j/k:

but did you really need to post all those pics to make us see the development? 

Nice train and nice station though...


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## thyrdrail (Jul 25, 2004)

kbboy said:


> but did you really need to post all those pics to make us see the development?


I dont understand your question. Would you rather just read text and not see pics of the development? How boring that would be.


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## thyrdrail (Jul 25, 2004)

some more pics of taichung station. i couldn't post the pics from this dude's flickr album. so here's the link:


http://flickr.com/photos/jdhuang/sets/72157594389593621/with/304872305/


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## thyrdrail (Jul 25, 2004)

some more photos of hsinchu station:


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## nama (Dec 2, 2006)

it is really impressive and spectacular subway system ever built in the whole world.must be expensive for every train,like a amazing dragon flying in the sky.so many and many inhabitants take photo for them.never express with any language


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## PDXPaul (Sep 11, 2002)

Is the land around some of the rural(I'm guessing?) stations marked off for development. It looks like it with the street grid surrouding the stations in place.


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## bob rulz (Oct 20, 2005)

Very impressive! I would love to have something like that...so modern (hell, even futuristic), clean, and sleek!


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## harsh1802 (Apr 17, 2006)

Futuristic, very impressive, awesome and fantastic!


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## Elsongs (Oct 18, 2006)

That's some SERIOUS infrastructure there. HOW MUCH CONCRETE DID THEY USE?!?!?


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## KB (Feb 22, 2006)

thyrdrail said:


> I dont understand your question. Would you rather just read text and not see pics of the development? How boring that would be.


Nooo... i like pics but that first page was just over flooding with pics.

Anyway cool projects...and cool train.


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)




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## tchen (Mar 15, 2010)

Thanks for sharing!


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

Hey guys? 

I was derping around on Google maps around my hometown in Hsinchu, when I found this picture in the Liujia HSR Depot:

http://v24.nonxt2.c.bigcache.google...otos/original/26404906.jpg?redirect_counter=1

Anyone care to explain why there is a 0-series Shinkansen in the yard? It's clearly not operating and seems to be more of a relic.


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## dumbfword (Apr 27, 2010)

Silver Swordsman said:


> Hey guys?
> 
> I was derping around on Google maps around my hometown in Hsinchu, when I found this picture in the Liujia HSR Depot:
> 
> ...


Might be the track inspection unit like Dr.Yellow in Japan


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

It's not. The rust on the train obviously means that it's not maintained, and I've heard from real THSR staff that they have special inspection units.

Furthermore, if they really WERE going to use a 0 series for inspections, then where is the rest of the train?


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

^^
It's car 21-5036, which apparently was used as a loading gauge clearance check car.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:TSHR_Structure_Gauge_Test_Car_04.jpg

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:TSHR_Structure_Gauge_Test_Car_03.jpg

Blog post. Scroll down to see more shots of this car:
http://www.east-asia-railroad.com/starthp/subpage67.htm


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

HD video!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Waiting in Line (26/52) by J.J.T., on Flickr


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

TSHR 700T units at KHI's Hyogo Plant. The first batch are due to be delivered sometime this month (?):





*h/t to quashlo


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Fri, Dec 28, 2012 
*High-speed rail prices to stay same*
Taipei Times Excerpt

The prices of high-speed rail tickets are not going to rise before the Lunar New Year holiday next February, Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo said yesterday, adding that the ministry would conduct a comprehensive review of the system’s pricing mechanism.

“We currently have no plan [to raise ticket prices],” Mao said.

Mao made the announcement at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee to review the high-speed rail’s budget and construction funds for next year.

While Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) had just welcomed its 200-millionth passenger earlier this month, the operator faced mounting criticism at the committee.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-tse said the system had failed to reach its target of 150,000 passengers per day because ticket prices are too high. He added that fares are even higher than those of the Beijing-Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Railway in China that was launched on Wednesday.

He said that THSRC should lower fares to boost the occupancy rate.

DPP legislators Yeh Yi-jin and Kuan Bi-ling also opposed raising ticket prices.

Yeh said there would be high-speed rail stations in Yunlin, Miaoli and Changhwa counties by 2014. With the addition of these three new stations to the route, the travel time on the high-speed rail from Taipei to Kaohsiung would increase by 30 minutes if the train stops at every station, he added.

************************* 

According to Mao, THSRC has accumulated financial losses of about NT$70 billion (US$2.3 billion) and collective loans of about NT$30 billion.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Construction of Yunlin HSR station set to start*
BREAKING GROUND : Construction of stations in the two other counties still without HSR stations, Miaoli and Changhua, will start on Jan. 25 and Feb. 6 respectively
Taipei Times
Mon, Jan 14, 2013

Construction of the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Yunlin County is scheduled to commence in Huwei Township (虎尾) tomorrow, with costs to exceed NT$1.5 billion (US$51.8 million).

Yunlin County is one of the three counties that do not yet have high-speed rail stations, along with Miaoli and Changhua counties.

Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國), Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) chairman Ou Chin-der (歐晉德), Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) and other dignitaries have been invited to attend the ground-breaking ceremony.

The Bureau of High Speed Rail said the construction of the high-speed rail stations in Miaoli and Changhua would be launched on Jan. 25 and Feb. 6 respectively.

All three new stations are to become operational by 2015, the bureau added.

Meanwhile, the bureau said that the government has completed the building of the high-speed rail station in Taipei’s Nangang (南港) district and handed it over to the THSRC to install the machinery and railway tracks. The contract stipulates that the company must complete the work by 2015.

The bureau said the company would need to re-examine its operational model because the number of stations has increased from eight to 12, and the travel time of the express train service from Taipei to Kaohsiung must not exceed 96 minutes.

THSRC estimated that travel time from Taipei to Kaohsiung would increase to two-and-a-half hours if the train stops at every station along the route except Nangang.

Because the station in Yunlin is in Huwei Township, whose name is literally translated as “a tiger’s tail,” THSRC said that the architecture would convey the imagery of a tiger’s stripes and tail.

Because Yunlin County is known to have a land subsidence problem, the company said it planned to adopt a new construction method to ensure the stability of the new station, which is on an overpass. Instead of using dirt to refill the ground under the overpass, the company is planning to use solid and high-density expandable polystyrene (EPS) to fill the ground to avoid additional sinkage.

The company said that 1m3 of fill dirt weighs between 2 tonnes and 2.5 tonnes, but 1m3 of EPS weighs only 200kg.

However, EPS costs about NT$3,000 per cubic meter, which is 10 times more expensive than fill dirt.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Taichung HSR 9 by zstan, on Flickr


Taichung HSR 8 by zstan, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Over 10 million train rides recorded in CNY holiday*
CNA
February 21, 2013, 12:04 am TWN

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Travelers in Taiwan made more than 10 million trips on Taiwan's regular and high-speed trains during the Lunar New Year holiday earlier this month, data showed yesterday.

Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) recorded over 8.07 million rides, while Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) logged over 1.93 million rides during the period Feb. 7-18.

On the regular railway, the average daily ridership was 673,000, which was a 10.7-percent increase from last year.

On Feb. 14, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, ridership rose to a peak of 841,000 compared with 746,000 last year.

The average daily number of rides on the high-speed rail was 161,000, up 6.8 percent from the same period last year.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

THSR Zuoying Station by hao520, on Flickr


THSR Zuoying Station by hao520, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Police: 600 evacuated from Taiwan train after explosives found*
By Andrew Lee, for CNN
April 12, 2013 -- Updated 1315 GMT (2115 HKT)

(CNN) -- Six hundred passengers were evacuated from a high-speed train in Taiwan on Friday after explosives -- attached to a timer and apparently close to detonation -- were found in luggage inside a restroom, police said.

The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. train stopped at Hsinchu City after someone found the explosives in two pieces of luggage shortly after 9 a.m., according to police.

Police said the luggage was emitting white smoke, and people nearby could smell gas. The setup included 5 liters of gasoline and an activated timer device to trigger them, police said. 

Investigators believe the explosives would have detonated had authorities not intervened, according to police. They said they believe the blast would have taken out one carriage.

A carriage can carry about 60 passengers.

Police did not release any information about who could be responsible for the device.

The train started at Zuoying and was headed to Taipei.

_Images below from Apple Daily Taiwan_ :


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Tue, Jun 25, 2013 
*THSRC seeking to extend exclusive operating rights*
Taipei Times

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) yesterday said that it is seeking to extend its exclusive operating rights to 99 years as a solution to its financial problems.

The company is scheduled to hold its regular shareholders meeting today.

The high speed rail system was built under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract, under which THSRC received exclusive rights to operate the system for 35 years. It came into effect on July 23, 1998.

The company’s financial crisis emerged two years after the high-speed rail officially began operations in 2007, when its accumulated financial losses topped NT$72 billion (US$2.4 billion at current exchange rates). The crisis eased after loans worth about NT$380 billion were secured following government intervention in 2010.

Though the company managed to turn a profit two years ago, it still has an accumulated deficit of approximately NT$60 billion.

The Bureau of High Speed Rail, which represents the government in overseeing THSRC operations, confirmed that the company had proposed a plan to improve its financial situation. According to the bureau, the company said that it failed to meet its estimated passenger volume and revenue because of a number of factors, including the 921 Earthquake in 1999, the financial burden of subsidizing tickets for the handicapped, senior citizens and children, as well as the global financial downturn.

The company held that the 1999 earthquake was a natural disaster it had no way to prevent, and that subsidized tickets should be funded by the government’s budget for social welfare programs. The global financial downturn hit passenger volumes, the company said.

Aside from allowing the company exclusive rights to operate the high speed rail system for 99 years, the bureau said THSRC also proposed that the government, among other measures, assist it in securing loans and reduce interest rates.

“Based on the terms of the contract, all the non-force majeure reasons will be evaluated and determined by the members of the high-speed rail coordination committee. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is handling this matter based on the terms of the contract,” the bureau said in a statement.

The bureau also said that the THSRC plan lacks financial analyses to back up its claims, as well as specific steps for implementation. Some of the company’s proposals may involve changes in contract terms, the bureau added.

The bureau said that it has asked the company to provide additional information and help clarify some of the details in the plan.


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## Silly_Walks (Aug 23, 2010)

99 years... the government will have to hold them to strict pricing policies if they were to agree to that.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

D8E_9773 by Rogerwaters588, on Flickr


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## Swede (Aug 24, 2002)

hkskyline said:


> *Police: 600 evacuated from Taiwan train after explosives found*
> By Andrew Lee, for CNN
> April 12, 2013 -- Updated 1315 GMT (2115 HKT)
> 
> ...


Any followup on this?


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

I kinda want the government to take over THSR asap... due to the certainty that they will lower ticket prices... 

But then again, such wishing isn't just wishful, it isn't a nice way of thinking. At all.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Swede said:


> Any followup on this?


Fri, Apr 19, 2013 
*Bomb case suspect spills details of plan*
FALL GUYolice said the main suspect in the case may have planned to cover his tracks by blowing up a co-conspirator, adding that his motive needs investigation
Taipei Times

The police said the preliminary results of the investigation into the explosive devices planted on a high-speed rail train and outside a lawmaker’s office indicate that the main suspect may have intended for his co-conspirator to die in the incident.

Hu Tsung-hsien (胡宗賢) and Chu Ya-tong (朱亞東), the two prime suspects in the case, are alleged to have placed suitcases containing explosive devices on northbound high-speed rail train No. 616 and outside Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Chia-chen’s (盧嘉辰) New Taipei City (新北市), Tucheng District (土城) office on Friday last week before boarding a plane to China.

The two were apprehended in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, and repatriated to Taiwan on Tuesday.

During questioning on Wednesday night, Chu agreed to cooperate with investigators and to reveal what he knew of Hu’s alleged plans after police made it clear how dangerous those plans had been to Chu himself.

Chu said he did not know the suitcases contained explosives until he smelled gasoline, adding that he had asked Hu after getting off the train whether the stakes were not too high.

“Hu did not answer my questionand continued with the plan to place the devices outside Lu’s office,” police reported Chu as saying.

Police said that Chu arrived at the station in Taichung as agreed by telephone on Tuesday and boarded the train — traveling from Zuoying (左營) to Taipei — with a ticket through to Hsinchu.

Hu had not explicitly told Chu to get off at Hsinchu, and it was only after Chu called Hu to tell him that hydrochloric acid had started leaking out of the suitcase and that he could smell gasoline that Hu told him to get off the train, police said.

The police said that the timing device in the suitcase had been set for 9:30am, and Chu got off the train at 9:26am, meaning that he only had a four-minute window to leave the area.

Chu said that after they arrived in the vicinity of Lu’s office at 11:30am, Hu had not immediately planted the explosive device, but drove the car around for about an hour before telling Chu to drop off the suitcases at the door of Lu’s office at about 12:30pm.

Video footage from surveillance cameras showed that the moment Chu placed the suitcases near Lu’s office coincided with the time the devices had been set to explode.

Chu had been in great danger while placing the suitcases, police said, adding that they suspected that Hu had intended for Chu to take the fall for him.

Police said that if Chu had died Hu might have escaped arrest because of insufficient evidence, adding that it might have worked, as Chu was the last link in the plot.

Prior to discovering Chu’s involvement, police discovered that the two alleged culprits had met with a man surnamed Shih (施) to obtain taxi permits from two brothers, surnamed Lai (賴), which they used to buy an SUV allegedly used in the incident.

As Hu is a lawyer of some renown in Taichung, prosecutors said that his motive — which Hu claimed was simple dissatisfaction with the state of society — needed further investigation, adding that they were removing the possibility of extortion as a motive, as he had not asked for money from the legislator or from Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp after placing the bombs.

The New Taipei City District Court approved prosecutors’ request to detain the two suspects on Wednesday on grounds that the two — charged with attempted murder, violation of the Act on Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例), attempted sabotage of national public business and violation of the Public Safety Act (公共危險罪) — had committed heinous acts.


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## chornedsnorkack (Mar 13, 2009)

hkskyline said:


> BREAKING GROUND : Construction of stations in the two other counties still without HSR stations, Miaoli and Changhua, will start on Jan. 25 and Feb. 6 respectively
> Taipei Times
> Mon, Jan 14, 2013
> 
> ...


Can they explain why?
The existing express trains take 1:36 Taibei to Zuoying, skipping 4 stations:
Taoyuan
Xinchu
Chiayi
Tainan
The all-stop trains take 2:00. Which is 24 minutes more.
That makes 6 minutes per stop.
So, when 3 more intermediate stops are added, should the all-stop trains take "two-and-a-half hours", meaning 2:30, or should they complete the trip in 2:18 - the extra 18 minutes for the 3 extra stops at 6 minutes each?


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

> the travel time of the express train service from Taipei to Kaohsiung must not exceed 96 minutes.


Where does this 96 minutes come from? The time required to be competitive with airlines? Some politicians wishes? I say let the railways decide what are the best times for their services, and _run as fast as required, not as fast as possible_, and leave government meddling out of it.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

chornedsnorkack said:


> Can they explain why?
> The existing express trains take 1:36 Taibei to Zuoying, skipping 4 stations:
> Taoyuan
> Xinchu
> ...


I haven't seen the new schedule yet as the 2.5 hours is just an estimate, but I suspect the overall average speed will be reduced with these new stops, so the whole trip will take longer than the 6 additional minutes per stop.


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

The "6 minutes per stop" is a bit off as the issue stems from the train having to slow down and accelerate back up to full speed. THSR services usually have a dwell time of less than 120 seconds; if we look at it this way, the train spends only two minutes to slow down and only two minutes to get back up to speed (roughly). 

The problem with the 96-minute travel time is that Taiwan is a small country. Unless one is planning a one-day, round trip up and down the island, time savings are marginal and highly critical. 

For example, travelling between Taipei and Taichung takes nearly an hour by THSR and costs 700NT per trip. On the other hand, TRA express services make the trip in just a little over two hours, for just 375NT. Unless one is very pressed for time and needs that extra hour, most people prefer to save money and take the TRA instead of high speed rail. 

Factor that THSR stations are usually far away from the city center and one needs to spend more time to travel anyways (whereas most TRA stations are in the city center), it becomes obvious that any slight reduction of speed for THSR will have highly negative impacts on its competitiveness.


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## chornedsnorkack (Mar 13, 2009)

Silver Swordsman said:


> The "6 minutes per stop" is a bit off as the issue stems from the train having to slow down and accelerate back up to full speed. THSR services usually have a dwell time of less than 120 seconds; if we look at it this way, the train spends only two minutes to slow down and only two minutes to get back up to speed (roughly).


Loses, not spends. That´s an important difference. The train is covering some distance at slower speeds while decelerating and accelerating, so the through train would spend some time covering these distances at full speed.


Silver Swordsman said:


> For example, travelling between Taipei and Taichung takes nearly an hour by THSR and costs 700NT per trip. On the other hand, TRA express services make the trip in just a little over two hours, for just 375NT. Unless one is very pressed for time and needs that extra hour, most people prefer to save money and take the TRA instead of high speed rail.


West Rail via Taichung Line looks to be 363 km between Taibei and Xinzuoying.
On that distance, I count 77 stations including the termini quoted.


Silver Swordsman said:


> Factor that THSR stations are usually far away from the city center and one needs to spend more time to travel anyways (whereas most TRA stations are in the city center),


Looks like the only central stations of THSR is Taibei... or is Banqiao central for anything?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Rules on carrying hazardous items on trains tightened *
30 July 2013
Taipei Times

Train passengers will soon be barred from carrying paint, bottled gas, firecrackers or other dangerous items on board following a recent amendment to the Railway Transport Rules, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said yesterday.

The amendment was proposed following an incident in April, in which explosive devices, which fortunately did not explode, were found in the toilet of a northbound high-speed rail train.

The ministry decided to amend the Railway Transport Rules in accordance with the Regulations Governing the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods, which covers explosives, flammable substances and other potentially dangerous items.

Railway passengers violating the new Railway Transport Rules face penalties of between NT$300 and NT$3,000, although those carrying medical equipment, lighters, matches or alcohol below 70 percent proof would not be fined.

According to the ministry, passengers have previously been found on trains with paint, turpentine, banana oil, bottled gas for barbecues, firecrackers, high-proof alcohol, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid. The new rules, which take effect later this week, would authorize railway personnel to check any suspicious item.

Depending on the severity of the situation, as well as being fined passengers violating the new rules may be asked to leave the train at the next station, or to leave train stations.

The ministry said some legislators have planned to propose an amendment that would raise the penalty for passengers taking banned items on board to between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000.

The new rules have received mixed reactions from passengers, with some not considering paint to be a dangerous item, while others said they are willing to follow the new rules and say the government should launch an awareness campaign to promote them.

Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA), the nations largest train operator, said that some types of paint are inflammable and could endanger public safety.

The state-run railway service said that there have been disputes in the past because the old rules did not provide clear definitions for dangerous items, adding that as it does not have X-ray machines at stations, TRA personnel would need to watch out for suspicious items.

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said that it would request that railway police handle any potentially dangerous items.

In other developments, the high-speed rail operator announced yesterday that it would offer discounts of between 30 and 50 percent on ticket prices for passengers aged between 12 and 19 on some train services.

The special discount for young people is scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1, and would apply to both local and foreign passengers. THSRC said the 50 percent discount will be offered on 91 train services each week, while 158 services will offer the 30 percent discount.

To enjoy the special discount, passengers must present a photo ID showing their date of birth and each young passenger is entitled to buy one ticket under the scheme.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Wed, Aug 14, 2013 
*THSRC’s price hike proposal panned as unfair and divisive*
SOLE PLAYER : As the high-speed rail firm has no rivals, the government should take an interest in its pricing, the director of a consumers’ group said
Taipei Times

Lawmakers and consumer rights advocates yesterday demanded that Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) suspend a ticket price increase, saying that the planned hike is unreasonable and could further widen the North-South wealth gap.

THSRC announced on Tuesday last week that the price of high-speed rail tickets would increase by 9.7 percent from October, which means that the cost of a round-trip ticket between Taipei and Greater Kaohsiung would increase by NT$280.

High-speed rail ticket prices have increased by 12.62 percent between 2008 and last year, 3.47 times the amount the consumer price index rose by during the same period, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) told a press conference.

“This shows how unreasonable THSRC’s planned increase is. What is more intolerable is that the Ministry of Transportation and Communication’s Bureau of High Speed Rail and THSRC conspired over the increase during the legislative recess,” she said.

The high-speed rail firm has generally been profitable, with net profits of NT$580 (US$19.37 million) in 2011, NT$360 million last year and NT$200 million for the first half of this year, but the company has suffered losses in its non-operating businesses, such as advertising and property developments, Kuan said.

The operator’s poor business management further underlined why the planned fare increase is unacceptable, she said.

The increase is likely to create tension between people living in southern and northern areas due to its increased financial burden and widening the wealth gap, Taiwan Consumer Protection Association president Chen Chiu-hsiung (陳秋雄) said.

The government should take an active interest in the company’s decision to raise prices, since the high-speed rail service enjoys a monopoly, he added.

DPP Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said THSRC’s priority is to improve passenger load, which has ranged between 54 percent and 57 percent during its six-year existence.

Lee said that the planned price increase “would very likely trigger a general price increase for all forms of public transportation.”

Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君), director of the Bureau of High Speed Rail’s First Division, said his bureau would request THSRC — authorized under its operating contract to adjust ticket prices — to offer discounts and incentives to underprivileged groups.


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

As someone who lives in Taiwan, I _almost_ wish that the airlines didn't call it quits--so that THSR would have to keep ticket prices low in order to stay competitive. 

Monopolies suck...


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## ddes (Oct 17, 2006)

Silver Swordsman said:


> As someone who lives in Taiwan, I almost wish that the airlines didn't call it quits--so that THSR would have to keep ticket prices low in order to stay competitive.
> 
> Monopolies suck...


They didn't really have a choice, did they? The demand for domestic service dropped quite sharply, while the lack of a domestic LCC ultimately killed air travel's competitiveness against the trains.


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

Domestic flights in Taiwan? The island is only about 350 km long. Pre and post flight procedures are longer then the actual flight.
In France domestic flight along the main TGV lines has been decimated, because they couldn't compete on travel time, fares and location.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Silver Swordsman said:


> As someone who lives in Taiwan, I _almost_ wish that the airlines didn't call it quits--so that THSR would have to keep ticket prices low in order to stay competitive.
> 
> Monopolies suck...


You can ride the bus or take the TRA trains. Those are still very cheap!


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## Sunfuns (Mar 26, 2012)

How much is currently the standard 2nd class price from end to end?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Sunfuns said:


> How much is currently the standard 2nd class price from end to end?


TWD 1,950


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

hkskyline said:


> You can ride the bus or take the TRA trains. Those are still very cheap!


I know they are, and I use the TRA quite frequently. It just saddens me that the HSR has become a socially dividing issue.


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)




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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*High Speed Rail discounts extended to end of next year*
Taipei Times with CNA 
26 October 2013 

Promotions launched earlier this month on the Taiwan High Speed Rail will last until the end of next year instead of expiring at the end of March, the company announced on Thursday, in response to public demand to ease the pain of ticket price hikes.

The decision was reached at a board meeting after calls for an extension from both the minister of transportation and communications and some lawmakers, a company spokesman said.

The promotions began on Oct. 8, when the company raised fares on the 340km rail network by an average of 9.69 percent.

With the price increase, a round-trip ticket between Taipei and Zuoying, Greater Kaohsiung, rose from NT$2,980 to NT$3,260 an increase of NT$280, or 9.4 percent.

Lawmakers had called on Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp to postpone the increases in order to lower the impact on the public in a month which has already seen a rise in the cost of electricity.

Yet the minister had argued that the price hikes were necessary to improve the companys finances.

The company began making a profit in 2011, but is still not considered financially healthy because of its debts.

The promotions include more than doubling the number of seats available for early bird discounts to 260,000 per week.

Under the program, travelers booking their tickets early enjoy as much as 35 percent off the regular price.

As part of the promotion, the company also launched a new preferential program under which passengers aged 60 to 64 can get a 25 percent discount on certain trains.

Passengers aged 65 or older continue to pay half price for their rides.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Sun, Nov 03, 2013 
Taipei Times with CNA
*THSRC service disrupted by power cut*
DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS : Delays affecting 15 trains, and the way that they were handled by the THSRC, drew criticism from the public and lawmakers across party lines 

More than 33,000 high-speed rail passengers were affected by delays caused by a malfunction at the system’s transformer substation in Yunlin County’s Tuku Township (土庫) yesterday.

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) officials at the Chiayi Station said the electrical malfunction occurred at 11:21am and disrupted the power supply to the section between Yunlin and Changhua station, which is still under construction.

Three trains were operating near the Tuku substation at the time of the power failure — southbound trains No. 135 and No. 1635 and northbound train No. 138 — but no casualties were reported as the incident had triggered the trains’ safety system, which automatically stopped them.

The THSRC subsequently suspended operations between Greater Taichung and Chiayi County as it dispatched maintenance crews to fix the problem.

After failed attempts to restore power supply to the southbound track on the Taichung-Chiayi section, the company resumed two-way operations using the northbound track at 11:39am.

Overall, the incident affected the operations of 33 trains, nine of which were southbound and six northbound.

Operations of the section resumed full service at 2pm after power supply was fully restored at 1:39pm, and returned to normal at about 4pm.

The THSRC was still investigating the cause of the malfunction.

In an effort to minimize the impact of the incident on passengers, THSRC personnel at Chiayi and Zuoying stations provided water and bread to travelers lining up at the stations for ticket refunds or looking for an alternative means of transportation.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Greater Tainan Councilor Lin Mei-yan (林美燕) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Wang Cheng-teng (王政騰) were three of the passengers affected by the incident.

“I was originally scheduled to attend a public event in Tainan at 2pm, but because of the delays, I had to cancel the activity at the last minute and make telephone calls to my constituents to apologize,” Lin said.

However, the THSRC has neither issued an apology nor rolled out any compensation measures over the incident, Lin said.

A passenger surnamed Wan (萬) said she had no knowledge of the incident until after she had boarded a northbound train departing Tainan station at 12:49pm, when she heard an announcement saying that the train’s departure might be delayed.

“I was not told how long the delay might be … so I ended up waiting on the train for about an hour,” Wan said.

The delays also met with criticism from the public and lawmakers across party lines, with many criticizing the THSRC for raising its fares by an average of 9.69 percent last month despite providing what they described as unsatisfactory service.

KMT Legislator Lin Kuo-cheng (林國正) said yesterday’s electrical malfunction, coupled with two incidents in April, proved that the THSRC is incapable of handling problems.

On April 12, passengers were evacuated after explosives were found on a high-speed train. Thirteen days later, the THSRC suspended its services for four hours due to a signaling system abnormality.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said it was evident that the price hikes did not prompt the company to provide better service to passengers, but rather fueled its mentality of “I am the boss.”


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*More smartphones, tablets being left on trains, planes *
21 January 2014
Taipei Times

Public transportation companies are used to seeing all manner of things being left behind in their vehicles, with a growing trend over recent years for phones and tablets.

According to information provided by Taiwan High Speed Rail Co, last year more than 60,000 items were lost, misplaced or simply forgotten by their owners across its eight stations, with an average of 5,000 items found by its staff each month.

The statistics showed that more than 60 percent of the items were reclaimed.

Placards used to designate ancestors, deities or the images of deceased family members have been found on its trains, while there have also been instances of customers leaving behind false teeth or walking aids, the company said.

It said that it had even found pets that have been left on its trains.

Taiwan Railways Administration said it has also found items including a statue of a deity, a diary, false teeth, a backpack, a bouquet of flowers and a ukulele on its trains, adding that it has only a 26 percent reclaim rate.

Airplane companies also said that on average between 100 and 200 items are left each month.

TransAsia Airways said it has an average of 150 items per month, adding that the highest rates of reclaimed items were for electronic products, at about 90 percent, adding that other items had a 70 percent chance of being reclaimed.

TransAsia said the top five items left on its planes are thermal flasks, glasses, gifts purchased abroad, smartphones and tablets.

China Airlines said that Bibles, rings, earrings, prayer beads, smartphones, passports, tablets and glasses are amongst the items that have been found left on its planes, adding that in recent years the number of electronic products left behind has steadily increased.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Hsinchu


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

Annual THSRC ridership:

2007 15,555656 
2008 30,581261 + 96,59 %
2009 32,349260 + 5,78 %
2010 36,939596 + 14,19 %
2011 41,629303 + 12,70 %
2012 44,525754 + 6,96 %
2013 47,486859 + 6,65 %


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## Silly_Walks (Aug 23, 2010)

^^

What was the ridership they predicted they would need to make a profit and pay off the debt?


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Y'see, that looks like healthy growth to me...


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Source : http://pic.feeyo.com/posts/616/6161315.html


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Silver Swordsman said:


> The fastest local services take 5 hours between Taipei and Kaosiung. However, most people do not travel that length.
> 
> Taipei to Hsinchu on local trains takes around 90 minutes. THSR takes 20. Fair enough, but while the local train station is in the middle of downtown, the HSR station is outside in the suburbs. Sometimes it takes you 30-40 minutes to get to the station.
> 
> Suddenly you realized that you've wasted a lot of money.


I think Taichung is still do-able on the far cheaper TRA services given the HSR station is so far out of town. The savings on HSR are far more evident from south of Taichung.


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## artisanvapor (Jan 7, 2015)

Nice pics very great place for travelling.................


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/asia/taiwan-to-nationalise-high-speed-operator.html?channel=540
> 
> *Taiwan to nationalise high-speed operator?*
> Monday, January 12, 2015
> ...


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Switch signal errors delay high-speed rail services*
CNA _Excerpt_
February 18, 2015 

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A malfunction at a switch on Taiwan's only high-speed rail line caused trains to slow to a crawl for around 90 minutes Monday evening, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC 台灣高鐵) said.

The failure of the switch machine, used to control track switches or “turnouts” that allow trains to change tracks, between Taipei and Banqiao was detected at 5:35 p.m., the company said, forcing trains to travel at a dragging pace of 40 kilometers per hour.

The problem was resolved by 7:04 p.m. and normal services have resumed, the company said, but it did not state the exact cause of the problem.

The incident delayed 14,000 passengers in 23 trains, it said.


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

...Again?

This is not the first time THSR switches have caused problems. This is not the second--or the 10th time these switches have caused problems. There have been literally hundreds of incidents involving switches on THSR since it opened, and they have gotten nowhere close to solving them. One of those "switch malfunctions" actually happened during one of my trips. I was waiting on the Southbound platform at Taoyuan when the intercom announced that "due to a switch malfunction", the northbound train was going to stop at the Southbound platform instead. Pandemonium ensued as all the queued passengers had to rush to the other platform (on the opposite side of the station).




Do something about this, THSR. FIX IT!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Tue, May 12, 2015 
*TRACKING CAPITAL : The general public could own shares in one of the revised funding plans for the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp set for legislative review*
Taipei Times _Excerpt_

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday said that it had proposed two ways to raise funds for Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) after it reduces the original investors’ capital to erase the firm’s debts, adding that the preferable option would be to increase the shares owned by state-owned or state-affiliated agencies to 63.9 percent.

The high-speed rail operator in January failed to have its financial restructuring plan passed at the Legislative Yuan. It then modified the plan and is set to submit the revision for legislative review. Under the revision, the firm would first reduce the original investors’ capital by 60 percent to ensure that the company’s debts could be erased. The concession period, on the other hand, is to be extended by 35 years.

Meanwhile, the company has aimed to raise NT$30 billion (US$974.7 million) after reducing the capital, adding that NT$19.2 billion would be raised from the general public. The rest would be raised by state-affiliated agencies, small shareholders and THSRC employees.

Bureau of High Speed Rail first division director Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said that the ministry has discussed the new plan with legislators, who suggested a few changes on how to raise the capital.

He said that the two proposals were delivered under a few conditions, including dismissing the doubts that the company would be controlled by certain private corporations, ensuring that the government holds a majority of seats on the company’s board of directors and maintaining the management efficiency of a private corporation.

Of the two fundraising plans proposed by the ministry, Plan A allows state-run agencies to increase their investment in the firm by NT$18 billion.

The company’s employees would be able to invest NT$1.2 billion and the public could buy shares valued at NT$10.8 billion. Plan B would raise funds from state-run and state-affiliated agencies only.


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Taken from Taiwan subforum:



tchen said:


> *Nangang Railway Station (Ruentex):*
> (photos courtesy of pp123 in taiwan city forums)
> 30 stories, 138.3 m
> With the new station building at Nangang nearing completion, thought it would be a good time to post an update! The buildings include department stores, hotels, and office space. High speed rail is also scheduled to be extended to this station in 2016.


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## chornedsnorkack (Mar 13, 2009)

tchen said:


> With the new station building at Nangang nearing completion, thought it would be a good time to post an update! The buildings include department stores, hotels, and office space. High speed rail is also scheduled to be extended to this station in 2016.


Considering it is July 2015, in which specific month of 2016 shall Nangang Station be opened for scheduled service?


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...ents-high-speed-rail-reforms.html?channel=523
> 
> *Taiwan implements high-speed rail reforms*
> Monday, July 27, 2015
> ...


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## hammersklavier (Jan 29, 2010)

hkskyline said:


> *Switch signal errors delay high-speed rail services*
> CNA _Excerpt_
> February 18, 2015
> 
> ...


This is really worrying. Turnout malfunctions are one of the first symptoms of deferred maintenance issues. Turnouts are among the most complex rail constructions, and for this reason need to be maintained and inspected much more frequently than almost any other part of the physical plant.

A corporate culture that scrimps on turnout maintenance to save a few bucks is also one that is more likely to scrimp on other important maintenance -- inspection of the rails themselves, the road- and subroadbeds, ties, catenary, signalling systems, etc.

Taken to its conclusion, eventually this leads to major accidents caused by infrastructure failure (such as Hatfield in Britain), or downgrading of the track itself (as happened in the United States, where by the 1970s most of the Penn Central due to two decades of systematic lack of capital investment) ...

High speed rail depends on extremely frequent and precise maintenance and inspections to operate. Hopefully the new management structure can fix the problems of the old before something bad happens.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*LPC-Taiwan's High Speed Rail Corp's lenders agree restructuring plan*
_Excerpt_ 

HONG KONG, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) has avoided defaulting on a NT$382bn ($12.05 billion) loan and potential bankruptcy after reaching an agreement with lenders and the government which paves the way for a debt restructuring, bankers said on Wednesday.

The rail operator agreed three amendments to the loan with lenders led by Bank of Taiwan on Monday, after THSRC signed an agreement with Taiwan's Ministry of Transport and Communication on July 27. 

The government agreement approved a long-awaited financial improvement plan that extends the rail operator's concession to 70 years from 35 years and terminates the indebted company's build-operate-transfer business model.

"The government has extended the operating concession from 35 to 70 years, it makes sense for us to extend the maturity on the loan," one source familiar with the situation said.

THSRC, which connects major cities on the west coast of Taiwan, ran into financial difficulties due to overly optimistic passenger projections and expensive tickets as well as high depreciation costs on its equipment, including the trains, one source familiar with the project said.


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## Awesome.e (Aug 16, 2009)

Does anyone have pictures of the new stations?


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## linkoying (Aug 10, 2015)

There are 3 new High Speed Railway Stations to open by Dec2015
Miaoli
Changhua
Yunlin


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## Goldstino (Aug 15, 2015)

Great thread, awesome pictures.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Fri, Aug 28, 2015 
*High-speed rail operators deny report*
SHARES MISTAKE? THSRC said that ‘Next Magazine’ got the details wrong of a plan to have privately placed common shares not resold within three years after delivery
Taipei times _Excerpt_

The Bureau of High Speed Rail and the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) yesterday denied that a financial restructuring of the rail company was designed to benefit big corporations and Chinese investors.

The denial came after a story published by the Chinese-language weekly Next Magazine, which accused the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of intending to go against a resolution made by the Legislative Yuan about the plan, restricting funds from certain parties.

The story said the ministry planned to open a “back door” for big corporations, as well as those funded by Chinese investors, to increase their stakes in the firm.

THSRC released a statement saying it was no coincidence that the story was leaked.

“It is regrettable that some people took part of board meeting discussions, misinterpreted them and used them to mislead the public,” the company said. “Their intent is made even more suspect given the fact that the story was published before the company’s shareholders’ meeting next week.”

Based on the plan approved by the Legislative Yuan, the company is to reduce its capital by about 60 percent to erase debts, then increase capital by NT$30 billion (US$915 million).

The concession period is to be extended by 35 years.

To raise the funds, the company can only obtain funds from the state-run and state-affiliated agencies.

The Bureau of High Speed Rail said that NT$24.2 billion of the NT$30 billion is to come from the High Speed Rail-Relevant Construction Fund as per the resolution of the Legislative Yuan.

Corporations whose boards are controlled by the government or government-affiliated agencies are to raise NT$5.8 billion.

These requirements are listed in the amendment to the THSRC’s contract with the Bureau of High Speed Rail, which was signed on July 27.

The bureau said it has completed all the procedures to list the NT$24.2 billion in its budget.

The China Aviations Development Foundation is to invest NT$2.6 billion, whereas the remaining money is to be jointly invested by six government funded banks.


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## mpeculea (Jan 7, 2013)

New Taichung railway station U/C on 06.09.2015.


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

^^Which station it is?


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

^^Bad post. That picture is of the new Taichung TRA station, which is NOT part of the THSR network.


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## mpeculea (Jan 7, 2013)

Silver Swordsman said:


> ^^Bad post. That picture is of the new Taichung TRA station, which is NOT part of the THSR network.


Thanks for the remark.I have corrected the information.
If one of the admins would be so kind as to move the post to the right thread.
Thanks.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Three new bullet train stations to open on Dec. 1*

Taipei, Oct. 11 (CNA) Three new Taiwan high speed rail stations are slated to open for business on Dec. 1 and will be open to the public from Nov. 4, according to the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC).

THSRC workers will provide visitors to the new facilities with a guided tour of their features and functions, the company said.

Nine years after the north-south bullet train system started operations, residents of Miaolio, Changhua and Yunlin counties will finally be able to enjoy its services.

Customers can pre-order "early bird" discount price tickets at THSRC station or online from Nov. 4.

Tickets from Taipei to Miaoli, Changhua and Yunlin will be NT$430 (US$13.30), NT$820 and NT$930, according to THSRC.

A new train schedule will be announced in late October, including bullet trains stopping at the new stations every hour.

In the future, journeys from Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung stopping at all 11 stations on the route, will take 138 minutes, an increase on the current travel time of 120 minutes.


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## chornedsnorkack (Mar 13, 2009)

hkskyline said:


> *Three new bullet train stations to open on Dec. 1*
> 
> A new train schedule will be announced in late October, including bullet trains stopping at the new stations every hour.
> 
> In the future, journeys from Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung stopping at all 11 stations on the route, will take 138 minutes, an increase on the current travel time of 120 minutes.


Are any effects expected on trains which don´t stop at the new stations?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

chornedsnorkack said:


> Are any effects expected on trains which don´t stop at the new stations?


http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2015/03/04/2003612742

_The fastest train service from Taipei to Kaohsiung, which makes stops at Banciao and Taichung only, takes 96 minutes.

The firm does not plan to cancel the fastest train service, Liu said._


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## chornedsnorkack (Mar 13, 2009)

hkskyline said:


> *Three new bullet train stations to open on Dec. 1*
> 
> Taipei, Oct. 11 (CNA) Three new Taiwan high speed rail stations are slated to open for business on Dec. 1 and will be open to the public from Nov. 4, according to the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC).
> 
> ...


October has ended in Taiwan.
What is the new schedule?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Bullet-Train Chief Pitches Share Sale as Taiwan Provides Bailout*
Bloomberg _Excerpt_
November 18, 2015

The operator of Taiwan’s $15 billion bullet-train project, which came dangerously close to insolvency earlier this year, says a solid profit outlook and creative branding campaign should help the company draw investors for a new share sale planned for next year.

Chairman Victor Liu, the driving force behind Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp.’s turnaround, says a nearly $1 billion government bailout will relieve the company’s outsized debt burden ahead of the share sale, while lower ticket prices and new branding initiatives will prop up revenue.

“Our stock won’t have any problem,” Liu said in an interview in Taipei. “We’re not just a transportation company.” High Speed Rail aims to play a bigger role in Taiwan’s tourism industry by providing a rapid tourist link to the island’s popular attractions, such as Sun Moon Lake, the chairman said.
Conceived in an era of late-1990s dot-com optimism, Taiwan’s high-speed rail was at one point the world’s costliest public-works project that is privately built and operated. It has since become Asia’s most indebted listed infrastructure company. Meanwhile, ridership has failed to reach forecasts and in the past three years more than 40 investors have sued the company for unpaid dividends.

Bullet-train service began in 2007, using Japanese technology to provide a smooth ride along the island’s western coast. The service cut travel time by two-thirds, to 90 minutes, over the 345-kilometer (215-mile) stretch from Taipei to the southern port city of Kaohsiung. 

The rest : http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...pitches-share-sale-as-taiwan-provides-bailout


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

chornedsnorkack said:


> October has ended in Taiwan.
> What is the new schedule?


http://www.thsrc.com.tw/index.html?force=1


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

The new stations have opened! http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2015/12/01/2003633759

_The additional stations will increase the number of stops form eight to 11 and cut the number of non-stop express Taipei-Kaohsiung trains by 30 percent, while Taipei-Kaohsiung trains that stop at all stations would take 138 minutes and are due to run once an hour.

To celebrate the opening of the new stations, the company is to offer special discounts between today and Dec. 15, including free tickets for passengers who arrive at or depart from one of the new stations._


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*HSR station in Nangang likely to open in July: HSR bureau*
7 January 2016
The China Post _Excerpt_ 

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Nangang Taiwan High-Speed Rail Station will likely begin operations in July, announced the Bureau of High Speed Rail (BOHSR, 高鐵局), during a visit made by Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國), who was inspecting the current progress of construction, Wednesday.

The high-speed rail Nangang Station will provide more flexibility for the high-speed rail system, Mao said. Trains previously originated at Taipei Main Station, but that could happen at Nangang Station in the future instead.

It will prove vital for the growing demands of transportation capacity for the high-speed rail system, Mao said.

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC, 台灣高鐵公司) Director Wu Sung (吳淞), speaking to local media, stated that current progress has Nangang Station under trial operations that are scheduled to finish this month.

Construction investigations will be led by the BOHSR in February, and by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC, 交通部) in March. Progress will enter preparation stages for operations if there are no problems reported.

According to local media, the THSRC currently has set July 15 as the opening date. Once the Nangang High-Speed Rail Station is open, the high-speed rail line will be extended to a total distance of 350 kilometers; its previous length was 345 kilometers.

The new Nangang Station will operate as a “main” station for passengers located in areas in the eastern parts of Taipei City including Neihu (內湖), Xichi (汐止) as well as Keelung (基隆) and Yilan (宜蘭) to take the high-speed rail, railway trains, the Taipei MRT system or buses and ease passenger capacity at Taipei Main Station.

As Nangang Station has more platforms and tracks, Wu stated that turn-back procedures could be a lot more flexible for high-speed rail services.

Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA, 台鐵) Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) stated that train schedules will see adjustments in September to meet the demands of opening the Nangang Station and current plans to elevate rail tracks in Taichung.

The Nangang TRA Station will be reclassified from second-class to first-class, stated Chou. The TRA is also considering renaming Banqiao Station “Taipei South Station,” (台北南站) and Nangang Station “Taipei North Station,” (台北北站) completing Greater Taipei's final phase of its transportation planning.

The THSRC's recent opening of three stations in Miaoli, Changhua and Yunlin in December last year caused an upheaval of train schedules.


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## Silly_Walks (Aug 23, 2010)

Are there any plans to extend Taiwan HSR to Keelung City in the future?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Silly_Walks said:


> Are there any plans to extend Taiwan HSR to Keelung City in the future?


I haven't seen any such plans for THSR to go to Keelung, although there is quite a lot of traffic between Taipei and Keelung already.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Fri, Jan 29, 2016 
*Nangang high speed rail station on track for June*
Taipei Times _Excerpt_

Taipei’s Nangang (南港) high speed railway (HSR) station is scheduled to open in July, which is expected to ease crowds, said the Bureau of High Speed Rail.

The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp yesterday began integrated testing at Nangang Station. During testing, engineers gauge the reliability of the system by running trains between Taipei Main Station and Nangang station.

The company said the distance between the two stations is about 9km, with an estimated travel time of 7 minutes. The train fare for passengers traveling this section is about NT$40.

Nangang Station will serve as the high speed rail network’s terminal station in the north, extending the railway operations to 350km. An adult ticket from Nangang to Zuoying (左營), the terminal station in the south, it is to cost NT$1,530. The ticket for non-reserved seats within the same section will be NT$1,480.

The company estimated that would be able to increase services by about 25 percent after the launch of Nangang Station, as the six railway tracks in the station can help increase the frequency of train deployment. Currently, trains leave from Taipei, which has only four tracks.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

THSR Zuoying台灣高鐵左營站_IMG_2896_1 by 建智 童, on Flickr


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## wangqi (Jan 29, 2016)

ive heard this high speed line is constantly runnning in the red. can anyone confirm this


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## Silver Swordsman (Nov 8, 2011)

wangqi said:


> ive heard this high speed line is constantly runnning in the red. can anyone confirm this


In terms of daily operation costs, THSR broke even several years ago. However, when one factors in the extremely high interest rates for loans borrowed during construction, as well as asset depreciation, yes, Taiwan has already concluded that at this rate THSR will never be able to recoup its investment cost without a bailout.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

wangqi said:


> ive heard this high speed line is constantly runnning in the red. can anyone confirm this


There are a number of posts in this thread about the company's dire financials. Please take a look at the past posts.


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## horlick97 (Oct 7, 2010)

Taiwan's HSR is not very long. oonly about 339km. This is largely due to the geographical size of the island. Its operating top speed is 300km/hr. 

Due to the stops, the distance between stops are not very big. Given that some distance will be needed for acceleration and decceleration, as well as the terrain and curvature, I suspect the actual distance available for high speed travel is actually not very much. 

Does anyone know this information?

Just for argument sake, it could have been better off for Taiwan to just adopt a single cape gauge conventional rail network with the intercity designed for a max speed of 200km/hr (with an actual average speed of say, 150km/hr). The fares would have been more affordable, and the whole project would have been more financial sustainable.


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## chornedsnorkack (Mar 13, 2009)

horlick97 said:


> Taiwan's HSR is not very long. oonly about 339km. This is largely due to the geographical size of the island. Its operating top speed is 300km/hr.
> 
> Due to the stops, the distance between stops are not very big.


Distance between stations. THSR does have express services.


horlick97 said:


> Given that some distance will be needed for acceleration and decceleration, as well as the terrain and curvature, I suspect the actual distance available for high speed travel is actually not very much.
> 
> Does anyone know this information?


1 stop adds 6 minutes to travel time.


horlick97 said:


> Just for argument sake, it could have been better off for Taiwan to just adopt a single cape gauge conventional rail network with the intercity designed for a max speed of 200km/hr (with an actual average speed of say, 150km/hr). The fares would have been more affordable, and the whole project would have been more financial sustainable.


Taiwan still has cape gauge rail network, at what, 130 km/h? Would upgrading the cape gauge network to 200 km/h have wiped out planes like new 300 km/h line did?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* High speed rail announces further service cut as demand drops *
_Excerpt_ 

Taipei, April 17 (CNA) Taiwan's bullet train service will be further reduced between May 18 and June 23, as demand continues to fall amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the managing company said Friday.

There will be a further cut of 147 services per week during the period, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) said, after announcing last month that its service would be reduced by 41 trains from April 18 to June 21.

The latest adjustment translates into a 18.5 percent drop in the 1,016 train journeys originally offered by the company weekly.

The service reduction will ensure travel during peak hours remains smooth, with six services provided per hour during that period, the company said, adding that it will continue to provide three to four trains per hour during off-peak hours.

The high speed rail will resume full service before the Dragon Boat Festival, which is scheduled for June 25-28 and is expected to boost demand, while flexible adjustments are possible before the holiday depending on market dynamics, THSRC said.

More : High speed rail announces further service cut as demand drops - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

D69_6399 by brook1979, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

801A8065 by 鹽味九K, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Taiwan High Speed Rail by Masatada Ho, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

20200513-DSC_5324 by Ngan Ken, on Flickr


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

It is interesting when you realise that these 700T trains are roughly 12 years old and that JR Central has already completely retired all of their 700 series sets, on which this 700T was based and that JR West is still using them but also has already retired about half of their fleet (the fleet used on the Tokaido Shinkansen?) as well.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

M-NL said:


> It is interesting when you realise that these 700T trains are roughly 12 years old and that JR Central has already completely retired all of their 700 series sets, on which this 700T was based and that JR West is still using them but also has already retired about half of their fleet (the fleet used on the Tokaido Shinkansen?) as well.


Not sure if COVID has pushed the timeline but they were originally planning to decide this year on replacements.









Taiwan excludes China from tender for 8 high-speed trains | Taiwan News | 2019-08-10 14:43:00


Decision about winning bid to be announced halfway 2020.The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation confirmed Saturday (August 10) it was not considering China as a supplier of eight new trains. | 2019-08-10 14:43:00




www.taiwannews.com.tw


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

"the company saw the number of its passengers rising and felt the need to add new trains." suggests additional trains, not replacements
As we are halfway 2020 now, we should soon get news if actual procurement is going ahead and if so who the winning bidder is. Imagine 8 Alstom or Siemens trains complementing the 700T fleet.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

M-NL said:


> "the company saw the number of its passengers rising and felt the need to add new trains." suggests additional trains, not replacements
> As we are halfway 2020 now, we should soon get news if actual procurement is going ahead and if so who the winning bidder is. Imagine 8 Alstom or Siemens trains complementing the 700T fleet.


I'll keep an eye on the press for updates.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

2020-04-15_06-32-09 by HOO-GEE, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Taiwan HSR Zuoying Station by NaCl小君, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

台灣高鐵 x 卡娜赫拉的小動物 Taiwan High Speed Rail x Kanahei’s Small Animals by Majiscup Paper Cup Museum 紙コップ美術館, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

台灣高鐵 1302次 by 孟勳², on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Taiwan High Speed Rail forecast to see sales rebound in 2021*
_Excerpt_

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) is expected to enjoy a rebound in sales in 2021 on the back of an increase in passenger volume at a time when reduced concerns over COVID-19 have led to further easing of restrictions on public transportation, according to Taiwan Ratings Corp.

Taiwan Ratings, a local partner with U.S. ratings agency Standard & Poor's, said with the country's efforts to combat the virus spread paying off the domestic tourism industry is expected to see an improvement, a positive sign for THSRC, the sole high speed rail operator in the country, in terms of passenger volume.

In a research note titled "Taiwan High Speed Rail could soon see the light at the end of tunnel for COVID-19," Taiwan Ratings said sales for 2020 are forecast to fall 15-20 percent from a year earlier, with revenue expected to bounce back by 16.5-18.5 percent in 2021.

More : Taiwan High Speed Rail forecast to see sales rebound in 2021 - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Zuoying station by Edward Y, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

137次 台中&#x3D;彰化 by alison920427, on Flickr


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## VITORIA MAN (Jan 31, 2013)

__


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* THSRC implements pay increase *
Taipei Times _Excerpt_
August 26, 2020

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) on Monday said that its pay increase plan, which was scheduled for January but still not implemented when it was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, would retroactively take effect on Aug. 1, after it hit its target revenue for two consecutive months.

The company had last year announced that a plan to raise employees’ salaries by an average of 3.42 percent would start in January, but no further action was taken.

In March, it suspended implementation of the plan due to the outbreak, but did not offer a date, saying that it would resume after “the pandemic eases and the high-speed rail starts generating stable revenue again.”

More : THSRC implements pay increase - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

YANG HAN HUA20200829_002 by YANG-HAN-HUA, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

DSCF1907 by YungYing Lu, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

2021/6/1/T by 吳 政彦, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_MG_5769 by waychen_c, on Flickr


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

Qtya said:


> Tendering for Taiwan high-speed extension to begin in April
> 
> 
> Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) will launch a tender for the construction of a southern extension to its 349km Taipei - Kaohsiung route in April.
> ...


The tender process was announced on 13 januari and on 20 januari was cancelled again:
The 9th meeting of the 10th Board decided to abort the re-tender for procurement of additional rolling stock (Contract E321).

Any news on what they intend to do now?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Yilan HSR extension stations narrowed down *
August 13, 2021
Taipei Times _Excerpt_

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications this week said that it would focus on whether the high-speed rail (HSR) line should be extended to Sicheng (四城) Station in Yilan County or to Yilan Station following a field trip to Yilan on Wednesday.

The ministry plans to extend the line to Yilan in a bid to increase service capacity for passengers heading to the east coast, which is currently limited by several bottlenecked passages.

Prior to Wednesday’s trip, the ministry had considered four possible locations for the terminal station at Yilan’s end. In addition to Sicheng and Yilan stations, the ministry had considered Luodong (羅東) Station and the Yilan County Government Railway Station, which is yet to be built.

More : Yilan HSR extension stations narrowed down - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*High-speed rail to add trains as Taiwan's COVID-19 situation eases *
_Excerpt_

Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) More trains will run on Taiwan's high-speed rail line starting on Sept. 1 as recent COVID-19 case numbers remain low, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) announced Monday.

THSRC said it will offer 180 more trips -- 90 northbound and 90 southbound -- to bring the total number to 809 per week beginning in September.

Passengers can begin to book tickets for these trains on Aug. 18 through THSRC's T-Express mobile ticketing system, online ticket booking system, voice-processing booking system, contracted convenience stores or THSRC ticket counters, the company said. 

More : High-speed rail to add trains as Taiwan's COVID-19 situation eases - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*High-speed rail service to increase next month *
Taipei Times _Excerpt_
Aug 17, 2021

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) is to increase high-speed rail services from Sept. 1 to ease crowding during peak hours, it said yesterday.

Rail services were reduced after the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on May 19 imposed a nationwide level-3 COVID-19 alert, which caused ridership to plummet.

The COVID-19 alert was lowered to level 2 on July 27.

Canceled services were partially resumed before Aug. 8 to accommodate people returning to their hometowns for Father’s Day.

Next month, 180 trains — 90 southbound and 90 northbound — would be added to the timetable, with the weekly total reaching 809, THSRC said.

More : COVID-19: High-speed rail service to increase next month - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*High speed rail tickets for Mid-Autumn Festival to go on sale *
_Excerpt_ 

Taipei, Aug. 18 (CNA) Tickets for travel on Taiwan's bullet train around the Sept. 18-21 Mid-Autumn Festival will go on sale at midnight Friday, and more trains have been scheduled to meet demand, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) said Wednesday.

Passengers will be able to book tickets for travel from Sept. 17 to 22, during which 179 more services ‒ 84 southbound and 95 northbound ‒ will be added to the current schedule, the company said.

A total of 797 services will be operated during the period, and only reserved seats will be offered, it said.

More : High speed rail tickets for Mid-Autumn Festival to go on sale - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*THSRC first public transport service to issue green bonds *
Taipei Times _Excerpt_
August 31, 2021 

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) yesterday became the nation’s first public transport service provider to issue sustainability bonds to fund its green initiatives and social investment projects.

Sustainability bonds refer to financing instruments in which the issuer uses all the funds raised for green initiatives, social investment projects or other related plans. The bonds must be issued based on the Taipei Exchange’s “Rules Governing the Issuance of Sustainability Bonds,” and can be traded on the over-the-counter market.

“The issuance of the sustainability bonds shows our determination to fulfill our responsibilities to the environment, society and corporate governance, as well as our commitment to pursuing the sustainable development of the rail service,” it said in a statement.

More : THSRC first public transport service to issue green bonds - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Taiwan extends Level 2 COVID alert, but eases train restrictions *
_Excerpt_

Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) Taiwan will extend its current Level 2 alert against COVID-19 to at least Sept. 20 as sporadic domestically transmitted cases with unknown causes continue to be reported, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Monday.

Restrictions on seat arrangements on Taiwan Railways and high-speed rail trains, however, will be eased to some extent starting Tuesday, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said at a daily CECC briefing.

The current Level-2 alert was previously set to expire on Monday after being extended for two weeks on Aug. 24.

...

According to the CECC, the Taiwan Railways Administration and Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. will start to sell reserved tickets for all seats on trains, but a ban on the sale of unreserved and standing room seats will be maintained.

Currently, the two railway systems are only allowed to sell a portion of available seats to ensure that passengers maintain appropriate social distancing.

More : Taiwan extends Level 2 COVID alert, but eases train restrictions - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Yilan high-speed rail link to rely on consent: MOTC *
Taipei Times _Excerpt_
Sep 17, 2021

The government has yet to decide on a location for the terminal station of a planned high-speed rail extension line to Yilan County, but would not implement any plan without the consent of local residents, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.

Wang made the statement after the Executive Yuan approved amendments to the Railway Act (鐵路法) in a Cabinet meeting in the morning.

The amendments would enhance oversight of railway safety and ensure sustainable operations of state-run railway services, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said.

More : Yilan high-speed rail link to rely on consent: MOTC - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_MG_8557 by waychen_c, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)




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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Minister denies splitting Yilan residents over plans for high-speed rail extension *
Taipei Times _Excerpt_
Sep 30, 2021

Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) on Monday pledged to continue communicating with Yilan County residents about a planned high-speed rail extension after being accused of dividing people there.

On Saturday, Wang presided over a town hall meeting to explain to local residents the pros and cons of four potential sites for the Yilan terminal: the Sicheng (四城), Yilan, Luodong (羅東) or Yilan County Government railway stations.

Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tzu-miao (林姿妙) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀), who represents Yilan, accused the ministry of disrespecting them by not giving them presentation materials ahead of the meeting, although Lin was listed as a cohost.

More : Minister denies splitting Yilan residents over plans for high-speed rail extension - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Kaohsiung hospital official punished over THSR staff vaccine controversy *
_Excerpt_

Taipei, Oct. 9 (CNA) The deputy superintendent of Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital (KMUH) has been given an admonition for administering COVID-19 vaccine doses to 42 ineligible individuals who work for the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR).

The punishment was meted out after an evaluation meeting on Friday morning, preceded by several review meetings after the incident, KMUH told CNA on Saturday.

The hospital's superintendent has also asked the hospital to punish him for his failure to fulfill his supervisory responsibility, but this request will still have to be approved by the Department of Health at the Kaohsiung City Government.

More : https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202110090012


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*THSRC to submit plan on unreserved ticket service*
Oct 7, 2021
Taipei Times _Excerpt_

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) has been asked to submit a plan on how it would manage passengers on carriages of unreserved seats before it could recommence selling tickets without reservations, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.

The company suspended its unreserved ticket service when the government on May 15 upgraded the COVID-19 alert to level 3 in Taipei and New Taipei City.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), yesterday morning said that the center had on Tuesday told THSRC that it could resume providing unreserved seating after the Ministry of Transportation and Communications had finalized the procedures.

More : THSRC to submit plan on unreserved ticket service - Taipei Times


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

hkskyline said:


> Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) has been asked to submit a plan on how it would manage passengers on carriages of unreserved seats before it could recommence selling tickets without reservations, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.


What would be the problem with having only reserved seating anyway? Todays computer systems are fast enough to even handle last second reservations if needed.
In the future you can even start selling standing/non-seat reservations (which I think you should not have on a high speed train, but you could).


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

M-NL said:


> What would be the problem with having only reserved seating anyway? Todays computer systems are fast enough to even handle last second reservations if needed.
> In the future you can even start selling standing/non-seat reservations (which I think you should not have on a high speed train, but you could).


I don't think it's the logistics of having both reserved and unreserved seats in their booking systems. Before the pandemic, THSRC had both reserved and unreserved carriages. I suspect it's more on how to track and contact trace an unreserved passenger because you won't be able to figure out who sat around him/her in case of an infection discovered later.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Non-reserved tickets on high speed rail to be sold again in November *
_Excerpt_ 

Taipei, Oct. 18 (CNA) Non-reserved tickets on Taiwan's high speed rail (HSR) will be available again in November, nearly six months after the sale of such tickets was suspended in mid-May due to a surge in domestic COVID-19 cases.

Non-reserved tickets, which allow people to sit or stand in non-reserved carriages on HSR trains, will go on sale again on Nov. 8, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said at a press briefing Monday.

Typically, there are three carriages for non-reserved seats on HSR trains, which have 12 carriages in total. To prevent overcrowding during rush hour, the number of non-reserved seating carriages will be increased to a maximum of eight once the tickets are available again, Wang said.

More : Non-reserved tickets on high speed rail to be sold again in November - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Premier backs further high speed rail extension in Pingtung *
_Excerpt_ 

Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said Tuesday that he will ask the transportation minister to speed up work on a planned high speed rail (HSR) extension in Pingtung, including a lawmaker's proposal to extend the line further than originally planned.

Su made the comment in response to Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清, no relation), an independent representing the southern part of Pingtung County, who asked if the high speed rail could be extended further south to Chaozhou Township, instead of the county capital Pingtung City.

The lawmaker said only 2.5 kilometers of the 17.5-km extension currently approved by the Cabinet from the high speed rail's southern terminus in Kaohsiung is actually in Pingtung.

More : Premier backs further high speed rail extension in Pingtung - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Wang defends his high-speed rail network idea *
Taipei Times _Excerpt_
Oct 28, 2021

The government has neither assessed the possibility nor estimated the cost of building an “around-the-nation high-speed rail network,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) told lawmakers at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee in Taipei yesterday.

Wang was due to brief the committee on the ministry’s budget for the next fiscal year, but he faced questions about his vision of people traveling around the nation on a high-speed rail network, which he mentioned at the legislature on Tuesday.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Tuesday said that the government is assessing the possibility of extending the high-speed rail line from Kaohsiung’s Tsoying District (左營) to Pingtung County’s Chaojhou Township (潮州).

More : Wang defends his high-speed rail network idea - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* HSR Yilan extension under study for 21 years: agency *
Taipei Times _Excerpt_
Nov 2, 2021

The government began evaluating the feasibility of building a high-speed rail (HSR) extension from Taipei to Yilan 21 years ago, the Railway Bureau said yesterday, adding that it did not cut corners by scrapping the feasibility study of the project.

While the bureau has yet to complete a preliminary assessment of the Yilan extension, such as the location for a terminal station, critics accused Ministry of Transportation and Communications officials of “trampling procedural justice” and “allowing politics to transcend professionalism.”

The ministry began assessing the feasibility of extending the line to Yilan in 2000, the bureau said, adding that it dropped the plan due to the terms of the contract between the government and Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp.

More : HSR Yilan extension under study for 21 years: agency - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

IMG_7348 by li cheng TSAI, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* MOTC might soon decide Yilan HSR station’s location *
Taipei Times _Excerpt_
Nov 22, 2021

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) could soon choose the site for the terminal station of the high-speed rail (HSR) extension line to Yilan County, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said.

Wang was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting at the legislature’s Transportation Committee on Thursday.

A consulting firm hired by the ministry recommended that the HSR line be extended to either the Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) Yilan, Luodong or Sicheng stations, or to a yet-to-be built station near the Yilan County Hall.

More : MOTC might soon decide Yilan HSR station’s location - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

IMG_7439 by li cheng TSAI, on Flickr


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## thebeatlesalways123 (Apr 22, 2017)

they hsr looks better then in beijing


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Yilan HSR station location set; work could begin in 2025 *
_Excerpt_ 

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) The Ministry of Transportation and Communications has decided to locate the site of a planned high speed rail (HSR) station in Yilan near the county government complex, and work could begin as early as 2025, the agency's head said Sunday.

The ministry began evaluating the possibility of extending the HSR network from Nangang Station in Taipei to Yilan in October 2019, but the ministry, experts, and local politicians and residents could not reach an agreement on where the station should be built.

Four proposals for the station's location were initially made, but Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said Sunday that his agency had decided to go with a fifth proposal to build the station 350 meters south of the Yilan County government complex.

More : Yilan HSR station location set; work could begin in 2025 - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*High-speed rail to add trains over LNY holiday*
_Excerpt_

Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) Taiwan High Speed Rail Co. (THSRC) will operate more services between Jan. 27 and Feb. 7 to meet increasing demand for travel during the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday, the company announced Tuesday.

There will be an additional 13 trains -- nine southbound and four northbound -- during the 12-day period, bringing the total number of train services to 2,179, the company said.

Reservations for tickets during the holiday can be made starting at midnight on Jan. 13, THSRC said.

More : High-speed rail to add trains over LNY holiday - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

台中空拍｜Mavic 3 by 里卡豆 Ricardo, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_Taiwan's HSR company will consider purchasing rolling stock from outside Japan, following failed bids from Japanese manufacturers. Plans to procure new vehicles surfaced in 2017. The current trains use the Japanese system._

* 高鐵購新車日本報價不合理 改洽他國廠商【獨家】 *
_Excerpt_
2022/3/5

（中央社記者汪淑芬台北5日電）台灣高鐵公司新購列車案去年初第2度廢標，主要是日本廠商報價不合理。台灣高鐵上週在董事會報告購車進度，目前已接洽到第3方業者，傳聞是歐洲國家團隊，台灣高鐵未證實。

台灣高鐵2017年推動新車採購計畫，並向國際高鐵車輛製造商徵求意向書，做新車規範的參考，因目前高鐵車輛使用的是日本系統，2019年及2020年都只邀日本投標，分別在2020年2月及2021年1月廢標，除了投標文件不符需求，報價不合理是主因。

台灣高鐵經理部門於今年2月23日的董事會，報告列車採購案進度，提到顧問團隊已找到日本以外新的採購對象，對方在系統轉換上表明有把握，高鐵技術部門更以台北捷運文湖線車輛從法國的馬特拉改為加拿大的龐巴迪為例，說明系統轉換，技術不是問題。

More : 高鐵購新車日本報價不合理 改洽他國廠商【獨家】 | 生活 | 中央社 CNA


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_MG_7785 by weichen_kh, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

台灣高鐵 0144次 by 孟勳⁴, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* THSRC, TRA services interrupted after electric tower brought down *
_Excerpt_

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) Train services operated by Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) and the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) were partly interrupted Friday when the demolition of a cement factory went wrong and brought down an electric tower in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung City, the operators said.

No casualties were reported.

The electric tower operated by state-run utility Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) was brought down at 3:40 p.m. when Southeast Cement Corp. demolished a factory building, shutting down electricity for part of the high speed rail system, the company said.

As a result, THSRC had to suspend services between Tainan and Zuoying stations, with passengers taking tour buses provided by the company from around 5 p.m., amid surging traffic ahead of the April 2-5 Tomb Sweeping Festival weekend.

More : THSRC, TRA services interrupted after electric tower brought down - Focus Taiwan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* THSRC, TRA seek NT$79m redress from cement firm *
Taipei Times _Excerpt_
Apr 8, 2022

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) and the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) are collectively seeking restitution of nearly NT$79 million (US$2.7 million) from Southeast Cement Corp for disrupting railway service on Friday last week, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) told a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday.

The day before the nation was to observe a four-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend, a cement storage facility at the company’s Kaohsiung plant collapsed and crushed an electric tower. Power supply to the high-speed rail system was subsequently cut off, crippling train operations between Tainan and Kaohsiung’s Zuoying Station.

To restore power to the high-speed railway, power was temporarily suspended on the TRA, disrupting railway service to stations in Kaohsiung’s Nanzih (楠梓) and Zuoying (左營) districts.

More : THSRC, TRA seek NT$79m redress from cement firm - Taipei Times


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_MG_8975 by weichen_kh, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

台灣高鐵 調車機 by 孟勳⁴, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

2022-04-25 17.31.50 by albyantoniazzi, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

綠地油油｜Mavic 3 by 里卡豆 Ricardo, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_MG_0030 by weichen_kh, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

THSR, 700T, Zuoying by Hsinyu Chuang, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Transport minister envisions round-the-island HSR service *
_Excerpt_ 

Taipei, June 8 (CNA) Amid government plans to extend Taiwan's high speed rail (HSR) network to Pingtung and Yilan, Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) on Wednesday expressed an ambition to establish a round-the-island service.

Having already started preliminary work on HSR extensions between Zuoying Station and Liukuaicuo Station in Pingtung County, and between Nangang Station and a proposed new station in Yilan County, Wang told Yahoo TV the ministry's long-term goal was to make the service available across the island.

However, Wang said that related work should be carried out "section by section" due to high construction costs.

More : Transport minister envisions round-the-island HSR service - Focus Taiwan


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