The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Bahn International and Deutsche Bahn Systemtechnik.
Both are affiliates of German Railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB).
The German railway company is to send expert technical consultants to Taiwan, the TRA said.
TRA Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said his agency is to send some staff to learn how DB transitioned from a state-run firm into a private joint-stock railway company.
Formed in 1994, DB is the successor to the former state railways of Germany: Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany.
The memorandum was signed in DB’s Berlin headquarters on Thursday last week by Chou, DB International chairman Niko Warbanoff and DB Systemtechnik head of finances and human resources Barbel Aissen.
The ceremony was witnessed by Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Jian-yu (陳建宇), Representative to Germany Agnes Chen (陳華玉) and DB International executive director for the Asia-Pacific Simon Giovnazzi.
According to Chou, DB’s share structure is similar to that of Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom, with the government being the largest shareholder.
CONTRACTOR
Apart from offering railway services, he said that DB has also been a contractor of many railway infrastructure projects in other countries, and has seen continuous revenue growth since the company’s privatization.
“We can learn a lot from DB’s experience,” Chou said. “For example, the railway in Berlin generates only 30 percent of its revenue from providing railway services. The majority of the firm’s revenue comes from its subsidiary businesses.”
The TRA has also signed memorandums of understanding with several Japanese railway operators.
Chou said that Germany also played a significant role in the development of Taiwan’s railways, with the nation’s first steam train being made in Germany.
He said the TRA had also consulted German experts when they built the current Taipei Railway Station. However, the two railway operators have not had any further exchanges in almost 20 years, he said.
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