Taipei’s Nangang (南港) high speed railway (HSR) station is scheduled to open in July, which is expected to ease crowds, said the Bureau of High Speed Rail.
The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp yesterday began integrated testing at Nangang Station. During testing, engineers gauge the reliability of the system by running trains between Taipei Main Station and Nangang station.
The company said the distance between the two stations is about 9km, with an estimated travel time of 7 minutes. The train fare for passengers traveling this section is about NT$40.
Nangang Station will serve as the high speed rail network’s terminal station in the north, extending the railway operations to 350km. An adult ticket from Nangang to Zuoying (左營), the terminal station in the south, it is to cost NT$1,530. The ticket for non-reserved seats within the same section will be NT$1,480.
The company estimated that would be able to increase services by about 25 percent after the launch of Nangang Station, as the six railway tracks in the station can help increase the frequency of train deployment. Currently, trains leave from Taipei, which has only four tracks.
The new timetable is scheduled to be submitted to the Bureau of High Speed Rail for approval before June. The company said it has taken longer to launch the Nangang Station because it needs to reset the system, and adjust the timetable and fares.
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