Japanese train carriages delivered to Kaohsiung port

The 23rd set of locomotives and carriages for the nation's high-speed railway arrived from Japan yesterday at Kaohsiung Harbor.

The carriages will be transported to an assembly plant of the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC, 台灣高鐵) today in Kaohsiung County, a THSRC spokesman said, adding that a series of test runs for the new carriages will be conducted on a test track after assembly is completed.

The arrival of the carriages appeared to quash a rumor that the Japanese supplier will suspend its delivery of the carriages because of the THSRC's financial problems, according to the spokesman. THSRC has ordered a total of 30 sets of carriages from Japan.

THSRC Chairwoman Nita Ing (殷琪) announced last Wednesday that the inauguration of the country's first high-speed railway will be postponed for one year until Oct. 31 next year. The 345km railway linking Taipei and Kaohsiung was originally scheduled to be inaugurated next month.

Ing apologized to investors and the public over the decision, but claimed she is confident of achieving the new goal.

Ing said that in view of an overall consideration of the progress of construction, system tests and operation preparations, the board of directors was forced to postpone the launch by one year.

Ing was unwilling to identify where the faults lie but said that the Japanese Shinkansen system is "more complex" than expected.

However, THSRC officials said construction of core mechanical and electrical systems have lagged behind schedule by more than 30 percent, affecting system tests and operation preparations.