Following a protest lodged by the Kaohsiung City Government, the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) last night decided not to cancel its late-night trains.
The KRTC originally announced last week that it would put a halt to two late-night trains.
The train schedule would be reviewed again when the city’s east-west Orange Line begins operations, it said.
Unhappy with the KRTC decision to cancel its late-night trains, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) had earlier said the city government would demand that the company reverse its decision.
Asked for comment, Chen said the city government did not support the KRTC’s decision to scrap the trains.
“Making a profit should not be the only objective of mass transportation companies,” she said, adding that the KRTC should make the public interest its priority.
Chen said she believed the KRTC would make a profit as long as the mass rapid transit system offered residents of Kaohsiung more trains and convenience.
“KRTC managers should have vision,” she said.
Chen’s remarks came after the KRTC last week announced that it would put a halt to two late-night trains starting from yesterday.
The company said the trains were to be canceled because they failed to attract as many passengers as expected and that the company needed to reduce costs.
The company added two 11:35pm trains on a trial basis starting in May to attract employees working at companies along the north-south Red Line.
Chen said that the KRTC would be required to resume the service.
Chen also said she expected Chang Chia-chu (張家祝), the new chairman of the China Steel Corp, which invested in the KRTC, to maintain fare discounts as promised to the city government.
In a related development, the Orange Line is expected to be operational by the Mid-Autumn Festival.
“After the Orange Line commences operations, [passengers] will be able to enjoy an NT$15 fare on both the Red and Orange Lines [by using an I Pass card] for one month,” said Huang I-chung (黃一中), director of the KRTC’s Public Affairs Department.
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