The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) yesterday confirmed that it is to offer 18 commuter train services today, even as most of its drivers go on strike.
Six of the commuter trains would be express services, while 12 would be standard, the TRA said.
The earliest available train is the No. 3007 express train from Changhua to Taitung departing at 6:08am, while the last is the No. 1253 standard train from Keelung to Hsinchu at 7:09pm, the TRA said.
Photo: CNA
The five other express services are the No. 4007 train (Hualien-Shulin), the No. 4034 (Shulin-Hualien), the No. 4018 (Hualien-Taitung), the No. 4039 (Taitung-Hualien) and the No. 3034 (Taitung-Changhua), the railway operator said.
The other 11 standard commuter trains are the No. 2185 (Changhua to Chiayi), the No. 2250 (Changhua-Chiayi), the No. 2151 (Beihu-Changhua), the No. 2272 (Changhua-Beihu), the No. 3154 (Chaozhou-Chiayi), the No. 3239 (Chiayi-Chaozhou), the No. 3190 (Chaozhou-Chiayi), the No. 3259 (Chiayi-Chaozhou), the No. 1144 (Hsinchu-Keelung), the No. 1203 (Keelung-Beihu) and the No. 1186 (Beihu-Keelung), it said.
The TRA said that detailed information about today’s train timetable can be found on its Web site.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) again apologized for the inconvenience caused by the strike organized by members of the Taiwan Railway Labor Union (TRLU).
Speaking at a highway reopening in southern Taiwan, Wang said that while the majority of drivers were to take the day off on International Workers’ Day, there would at least be some services available.
Wang thanked the drivers who were willing to work today, but said that he also respected the other drivers’ right to take the day off.
The strike, announced on April 16, is in protest against the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ plan to corporatize the TRA.
In related news, the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) on Friday said that it had made arrangements to provide extra bus services in anticipation of the strike.
An additional 3,500 highway and city bus services, representing a 21.5 percent increase, are to run on existing routes to and from TRA stations across Taiwan today, the DGH said in a statement.
In addition, tour buses which the transportation ministry has dubbed “quasi trains,” are to offer 716 services on 12 existing routes that normally have long intervals between stops, it said.
Separately on Friday, the Pingtung County Government said people unable to travel on the South Link Line, which connects the county to Taitung, and the Kaoping line from Kaohsiung to Pingtung can take the “quasi trains” instead.
They are to be deployed on five routes served by the TRA’s No. 0961, No. 0962 and No. 0963 trains on the South Link Line, and the No. 0964 and No. 0965 trains on the Kaoping line, it said.
The Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau said it is to operate two express intercity bus services on Provincial Highway No. 1 between Gangshan South MRT Station in Kaohsiung and Tainan Railway Station, as well as Fongshan Junior High School MRT Station and Pingtung Railway Station.
“Quasi trains” arranged by the DGH are also to be used on five routes normally served by the TRA’s No. 0961, No. 0962, No. 0963, No. 0964 and No. 0965 trains from Kaohsiung to Taitung and Pingtung, the bureau said.
The DGH advised people to check for bus schedule updates on the iBus information system Web site, or the iBus mobile app.
MILESTONE: The foreign minister called the signing ‘a major step forward in US-Taiwan relations,’ while the Presidential Office said it was a symbol of the nations’ shared values US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the state department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct a review “not less than every five years.” It must then submit an updated report based on its findings “not later
A trial run of the north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 is to commence today, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The eight additional boarding gates would allow for more aircraft parking spaces that are expected to boost the airport’s capacity by 5.8 million passengers annually, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) said. The concourse, designed by a team led by British architect Richard Rogers, provides a refreshing space, Lin said, adding that travelers would enjoy the tall and transparent design that allows sunshine to stream into the concourse through glass curtain walls. The
The Presidential Office today thanked the US for enacting the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law, signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday, is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct such a review "not less than every five years." It must then submit an updated
STAYING ALERT: China this week deployed its largest maritime show of force to date in the region, prompting concern in Taipei and Tokyo, which Beijing has brushed off Deterring conflict over Taiwan is a priority, the White House said in its National Security Strategy published yesterday, which also called on Japan and South Korea to increase their defense spending to help protect the first island chain. Taiwan is strategically positioned between Northeast and Southeast Asia, and provides direct access to the second island chain, with one-third of global shipping passing through the South China Sea, the report said. Given the implications for the US economy, along with Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductors, “deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority,” it said. However, the strategy also reiterated
RSS