Safety inspectors yesterday refused to approve the operation of the high speed rail between Taipei City and Banciao (板橋), Taipei County, dimming hopes that the link might be operational by the Lunar New Year holiday.
The investigators were tasked by the Bureau of High Speed Rail under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) with assessing the readiness of the rail link.
In their report, the inspectors listed six items that must be addressed before the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) can begin operating between Taipei and Banciao. These included the direction signs in Taipei Rail Station, the provision of fire extinguishers and ticketing facilities.
The company must also submit a plan detailing how it will facilitate the transportation of passengers during the Lunar New Year holiday, ensure that air conditioning units are properly installed on station platforms and demonstrate its ability to help disabled passengers board trains.
Lunar New Year
Should the company manage to correct these deficiencies within two weeks, the high speed rail will be able to operate from Taipei to Tsoying (
Currently, the high speed rail can only operate between Banciao and Tsoying.
Meanwhile, inspectors also said they would require the THSRC to announce the ticket prices for its routes at least seven days before they were offered to the public.
Based on the price plan the company had previously announced, a one-way ticket from Taipei to Banciao should cost NT$40. A one-way ticket from Taipei to Taichung should be set at NT$700, whereas a ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung should be NT$1,490.
The THSRC secured an Independent Validation and Verification certification for the Taipei to Banciao section from the UK-based Lloyd's Register last year.
The bureau began its inspection of the Taipei to Banciao section -- 5km in length -- last Saturday. The inspection was completed over the weekend.
Inspectors examined almost every aspect of operations, from the functioning of core equipment to the processing of ticketing systems.
Final check
MOTC Vice Minister Ho Nuan-hsuen (
Ho said that inspectors had not demanded that the problems associated with the ticketing system be addressed before the Taipei to Banciao link becomes operational. Instead, they only suggested that the company "continue to improve" the system.
Ho added that the deadline by which the deficiencies be corrected was ultimately up to the company.
Responding to the result of the safety inspection, Ted Chia (賈先德), a spokesman for the THSRC, said the company would work to improve the six items identified by the committee in the "shortest possible period of time."
He did not give a timeframe.
Additional reporting by Jessie Ho
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