The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) is offering intensive design sessions to local government officials who plan to build railways in their cities and counties, with the main focus on helping them to generate revenue from railway operations.
The railway projects are to be funded by the government’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.
The design sessions are being offered in three stages to facilitate the review of railway projects, Department of Railways and Highways section chief Wei Yu (魏瑜) said on Tuesday, adding that the ministry has completed the work for the first and second stages, which entailed finishing amendments to various regulations and communicating with local government officials about how the ministry would enforce those regulations.
Regulations that were amended were the Rules on Application and Review of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) System Constructions and Development of the System’s Adjacent Properties (大眾捷運系統建設及周邊土地開發計畫申請與審查作業要點) and the Directions for Application and Review of Plans for Railway Grade Separation Construction Projects and Development of Adjacent Properties (鐵路立體化建設及周邊土地開發計畫申請與審查作業要點), she said.
Some of the crucial points in the amendments include that local government officials must first submit a plan to assess a potential network for an MRT system before conducting viability research on any of the proposed MRT routes, Wei said.
The amendments clearly list items in viability research reports and MRT master plans that are to be closely scrutinized by the MOTC, including the integration of different transport systems, property development, and the means and time needed to gradually increase passenger volume, Wei said.
Meanwhile, local governments that propose railway projects must propose strategies to improve other aspects of the project, she said, adding that they should carefully consider the necessity of building the railway stations underground or on elevated overpasses.
The proposals must discuss the impact of railway systems and urban development plans.
Another amendment covers the percentage of revenue generated by ticket sales, stipulating that local governments must ensure that it would gradually rise from 20 percent to 80 percent.
During the third stage of the design sessions, the ministry plans to offer training on how to develop construction plans for an MRT or railway system in relation to other transport systems and urban development plans, Wei said.
They expect to examine real cases, such as how the Kaohsiung MRT system managed to increase passenger numbers, she said, adding that the training is necessary to operate railway systems sustainably.
“Except for Taipei, New Taipei City and Kaohsiung, which already have experience operating MRT systems, counties or cities will need training to operate an MRT system and increase the system’s passenger volume,” she said.
Asked how the ministry plans to scrutinize cases in which the local governments inflate passenger volume estimates, Wei said that local governments are expected to tender projections of population growth, which would be reviewed and verified.
Commenting on the light rail project proposed by the Keelung City Government, which did not first submit a plan for the network, Wei said the project is different from others because it shares 80 percent of its route with the Taiwan Railways Administration, adding that whether the rule applies in this case is open for discussion.
The ministry has yet to review the viability research and master plans for 16 of the 38 railway projects in the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, Wei said.
In addition to increasing revenue with larger passenger volume and having a sound financial plan, the projects are to be evaluated by additional standards, she said, adding that local governments would need a management team in charge of controlling system operating costs and would need to find ways to combine railways with developing tourism and local economies while contributing to the growth of Taiwan’s railway industry.
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