Transportation officials signed a contract with Far Eastern Elec-tronic Toll Collection Co yesterday for the construction of an electronic toll collection (ETC) system that will be installed on certain freeways by 2006.
But Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau officials sought to keep the signing low-key by forgoing the customary signing ceremony.
The Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co, a joint venture of FarEastone Telecommunications Co and Austria's Efkon AG, was officially awarded the NT$10 billion build-operate-transfer project amid investigations into allegations of corruption.
According to media reports, sources within the Black Gold Investigation Center of the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office have said that several legislators, transportation officials and repre-sentatives of ETC providers who had participated in the project bid could be indicted.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (林陵三) has instructed the Department of Anti-Corruption to investigate an official surnamed Sung, an aide to a high-level transportation official, following reports that accused Sung of corruption.
The committee overseeing the bid found the testing of Far Eastern's ETC system to be satisfactory last Wednesday, paving the way for a contract to be signed. However, the committee's decision was followed by allegations that officials had lowered the standards required for the ETC system in order to accommodate the chosen provider.
Far Eastern's contract requires it introduce a single-lane toll collection system using infrared technology by 2006. A satellite-based vehicle positioning system is slated to be tested in 2008, and the entire system is expected to be in operation by July 2010.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost