A proposal by Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp, the operator of the nation’s high-speed rail, to increase the maximum number of train trips that can be made on special high-load days to 210 a day passed an environmental impact -assessment yesterday.
The Environmental Protection Administration gathered environmental impact assessment specialists to discuss the impact of increasing the number of runs on high-load days, such as during Lunar New Year or on election day.
A previous assessment had set a limit of 175 runs a day.
In addition to evaluating noise pollution and carbon emissions, the specialists assessed land subsidence along the high-speed rail line, especially in Yunlin and Changhua counties.
Taiwan High Speed Rail said subsidence resulted from structural aspects that had already been evaluated before construction, adding that no irregular or unexpected subsidence had been observed over the past four years.
The company agreed to continue monitoring subsidence if the number of trains are increased.
The specialists told the panel they all agreed that adding to the number of trains would have a positive impact by reducing carbon emissions and that the immediate threat of land subsidence remained unproven and required further monitoring.
However, the specialists asked the company to provide clear and specific measures on how it intends to monitor the environmental impact if the numbers of train trips is increased to more than 175 per day.
The specialists asked the operator to provide a clear definition of “high-load days” to better regulate when adding train trips might be permitted.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.