Taiwan High Speed Railway Corp (THSRC) has hired 35 to 40 foreign drivers to operate the nation's first bullet train when service starts in October, a move that prompted a sarcastic article in the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese daily, yesterday.
"Taiwan's Shinkansen, which was constructed by a Japanese corporation, will have to be operated by Frenchmen," the report said.
The article also noted that the high speed rail system, which Japan has exported for the first time, still faces many problems. These include incomplete construction projects that could force a postponement of the official launch date.
The report said construction work in the tunnel between Taipei and Banciao City (
Since the trains will only reach Banciao in the initial stage, the train dispatches could also be a problem, the Asahi said.
It also mentioned that the drivers, despite their training from THSRC, are relatively green.
The report said after the rail system is launched, revenue will not cover the construction costs as the number of train runs at the initial stage will only be half of that originally planned. To continue the construction of the High Speed Rail, the company has to secure an additional NT$35 billion (US$1.06 billion) in bank loan.
In the Asahi story, a high-ranking THSRC official was quoted as saying that not all of the foreign drivers are from France. Ten of the drivers are from Japan, he said.
The paper also quoted the official saying 120 drivers would be needed when the trains start operating. While the 40 foreign drivers, who are more experienced, will be the chief operators, 30 Taiwanese drivers will accompany them as apprentices.
When contacted about the story, a representative from the public affairs department at THSRC told the Taipei Times yesterday that some of the drivers hired are Japanese, but she could not say how many were Japanese and how many were French.
She said the company plans to recruit 108 drivers before operations begin in October and that so far 77 have been hired. She did not know the ratio of foreign drivers to Taiwanese.
She reiterated that all foreign drivers have extensive experience in operating high-speed trains.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Kuo Yao-chih (郭瑤琪) said last week that the section of the railway from Banciao to Kaohsiung will be fully operational on schedule and promised to step down if the deadline is missed. She said the route could not be expanded to Taipei because of technical problems.
The government has pumped more than NT$74.1 billion into the build-operate-transfer project. The costs, based on the original contract, will be completely paid for by the builder.
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