The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) yesterday said that starting on Sunday for a period of two weeks, passengers using the new Shalun Line (沙崙線) in Tainan will be able to board trains free of charge.
The 6.52km branch line connects the Tainan TRA station on the Western Line (西部幹線) to the Tainan High Speed Rail (HSR) Station. It begins at Jhongjhou Station, stops at Chang Jung Christian University Station — located on campus — and terminates at Shalun Station.
From Shalun Station, passengers can transfer to the Tainan HSR Station by walking through a 34m underground passage.
PHOTO: TSENG HUNG-JU, TAIPEI TIMES
An inauguration ceremony will be held on Sunday to celebrate the new line’s launch, the TRA said.
The free train service will start immediately after the ceremony.
Pilot services will be launched from Nanke Station on the Western Line, and from Shalun Station at 3:18pm, it said.
To facilitate transfers between the Western main line and the Shalun branch line, the TRA has arranged for 70 commuter trains to operate daily either between Nanke or Tainan TRA stations and Shalun Station. The estimated travel time is about 22 minutes, which contrasts with the 50 minutes it takes to make the same journey by bus.
All stations along the branch line are equipped with multiple-card-reading machines, the TRA said.
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