The Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line is to begin trial operations on Thursday next week, with the official launch scheduled for March 2, Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said yesterday.
Tickets for the airport MRT will be half price for one month after its launch in March, Cheng said, adding that normal ticket prices would apply starting on April 2.
Cheng made the announcement after the Ministry of Transportation and Communications issued an operating permit for the system yesterday afternoon.
Photo: CNA
Taoyuan Metro Corp, the line’s designated operator, took reporters on a tour of the airport MRT. However, the train was forced to slow down at one point because of an earthquake.
The trial run is to last for one month and would be conducted in two phases, Taoyuan Metro Corp president Chen Kai-ling (陳凱凌) said.
The company will only accept group reservations during the first phase, which starts from Thursday next week and runs through Feb. 15, he said.
“Group visitors will be government agencies, transportation experts and other organizations,” Chen said.
“Each group is to be capped at 40 people and will have a representative to receive the official invitation issued by Taoyuan Metro,” Chen said.
“Group visitors can only access the airport MRT line through the A1 Taipei Main Station, A3 New Taipei Industrial Park Station, A8 Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Station, A10 Shanbi Station, A18 Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station and A21 Huanbei Station,” he said.
The system will be open daily from 8am to 4pm during the trial run, he said.
The airport MRT will be open to the public in the second phase, from Feb. 16 to March 1, he added.
People do not need to make reservations and can access the system from any one of the 21 stations along the route between 8am and 4pm during the second phase, Chen said.
Each person would be given a number before they board the train, he said, adding that the number tags would be dispensed at the stations at 7:40am, 9:40am, 11:40am and 1:40pm.
Chen said the trial run would serve as a stress test for the system before its official launch, during which more than 700,000 people are expected to access the system.
After its launch, it will operate daily from 6am to 11pm, he added.
Asked about the airline check-in facility at Taipei Main Station, Taoyuan International Airport Corp president Hsiao Ting-ko (蕭登科) said that it would only be available for passengers boarding the train during the second phase. of the trial operation.
“As the [airport MRT] system is expected to open at 8am daily during the trial operation, we can check luggage for passengers whose flights leave after 11am,” Hsiao said.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS