Using your smartphone to buy tickets for the high-speed rail is about to be even more convenient and faster. During the stockholders’ meeting held at the end of June, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) chairman Ou Chin-der announced that starting in September passengers would be able to use their smartphones to purchase tickets and get through the gate up to five minutes prior to departure.
Ou also says that THSRC is in the process of deciding whether the price will be higher for smartphone tickets.
After it started operating in Jan. 2007, the high-speed rail suffered severe financial losses during its first three years of operation, and although it started to turn a profit in 2011, the company’s accumulated losses have topped NT$64 billion (US$2,131,698,960). The build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract with the government gives the company exclusive operating rights for 35 years, so THSRC must pay around $NT19 billion annually in amortized installments, making it very difficult to operate. THSRC has presented a proposal to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications asking to extend the BOT contract to 99 years.
hoto: Tseng Hung-ju, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者曾鴻儒
While offering discount tickets to seniors is a good government policy, Ou says that the overall financial burden of offering senior discounts has reached NT$7.7 billion and that the number is rising by NT$1.4 billion every month, so he hopes that the government will swiftly agree to subsidize this expense.
The ministry responded by saying it would need additional information to alter the concession deal.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
手機訂高鐵車票更方便、即時了!高鐵董事長歐晉德六月底在股東會上宣示,九月起只要距離發車時間五分鐘以上,旅客都可透過手機購票、通關。
歐晉德也表示,是否調漲票價,高鐵「正在評估」。
高鐵在二00七年一月通車,前三年虧損嚴重,二0一一年開始獲利,但至今累計虧損仍有六百四十多億,因為高鐵僅有三十五年特許期,每年約一百九十億元的折舊攤提,導致經營仍有困難;高鐵已向交通部提案,希望特許期延長至九十九年。
歐晉德也說,敬老票是好政策,但高鐵通車至今,敬老票負擔累計已達七十七億,還以每月一點四億的速度增加中,希望政府能儘速同意支付這筆費用。
交通部回應表示,修改特許期須有更詳細的佐證數據。
(自由時報記者曾鴻儒)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too