The Bureau of High Speed Rail (BHSR) said yesterday it would meet with the contractors of the Airport Rail System to discuss the possibility of increasing the system’s operating speed.
The meeting was proposed after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) twice asked the bureau to figure out ways to reduce the commute of the Airport Rail service between the Taipei Train Station and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to about 20 minutes.
In its inspection tour on Sunday, Ma said a shorter train ride would be an incentive for people to leave their cars and use the high-speed rail instead. The BHSR’s original plan for the Airport Rail system was to offer express train services and regular train services. While the regular train services would make stops at every station along the way, the express trains would only stop at the Wugu Industrial Zone and Chang Kung Memorial Hospital stations.
The express train service will take about 35 minutes, while driving from Taipei to Taoyuan Airport takes approximately 40 minutes.
To shorten the travel time, the bureau is now considering a non-stop service that goes straight from Taipei Train Station to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The estimated travel time is between 28 minutes to 29 minutes. BHSR Director-General Chu Shu (朱旭) said the route for the Airport Rail was chosen 10 years ago. Aside from bringing passengers to the airport, the route was designed to help develop Linkou Township (林口). Therefore, the route also passes through the slopes in Linkou, he said.
“Construction has already started, so it is impossible to change the route,” Chu said, adding the bureau could only consider the possibility of increasing the speed of the trains.
Hence the bureau would talk with the Marubeni Corp and Kawasaki Heavy Industries — the contractors in charge of the Airport Rail’s electromechanical system — to evaluate the possibility of raising the maximum speed and altering the design of the rail, he said, adding that any change to the design must not compromise the safety and comfort of passengers.
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