Taiwan's high-speed railway project and the Taipei-Ilan freeway projects are both progressing ahead of schedule and will definitely be completed by 2005, President Chen Shui-bian (
He described the two projects as an indicator of the efficiency of the DPP government's rule.
"Many people criticize A-bian and the government for inefficiency, but construction of the high-speed railway project began after A-bian was elected, and will be completed within his term in office. This proves the efficiency of the government and the entire international team [working on] the high-speed railway," Chen said.
"This fact shows us that one will eventually succeed as long as one has reformist ideals, maintains enthusiasm for reforms and never abandons hope. We have power because we believe," Chen said.
As part of a nationawide tour accompanied by media heads, Chen arrived in Miaoli County yesterday to inspect the construction of the high-speed railway station in Wujih.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (林陵三) said a trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung would take only 90 minutes once the high-speed railway has been completed, and any place in the western-Taiwan corridor could be reached within a day.
Taiwan High-speed Rail Corp chairwoman Nita Ing (
According to Lin, starting from 2006, all townships in western Taiwan will be accessible from urban centers in the region within an hour. Residents from townships with populations of 50,000 or larger will be able to reach freeway interchanges within half an hour, and reach the nearest airport within an hour, Lin said. People will be able to reach any urban center from any other within two hours, she said.
"I was just elected in March 2000 when construction of the high-speed railway started. I did not attend the ground-breaking ceremony. However, based on government [policy] continuity and because of the fact that the high-speed railway is the biggest BOT project between the government and the private sector, [the project] must succeed. I have the obligation, responsibility and sense of mission to make it successful," Chen said.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) yesterday authorized the execution of convicted murderer Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), the first death row prisoner to be put to death since President William Lai (賴清德) took office. Huang was to be executed via a firing squad yesterday evening, which would leave Taiwan with 36 convicts on death row. Huang on Oct. 1, 2013, broke into his ex-girlfriend Wang Ping-chih’s (王品智) residence in New Taipei City, where he raped and murdered Wang. He also killed Wang’s mother. Huang was bitter over the breakup and her accusation that he had stolen NT$200,000 (US$6,074) from her bank account, prosecutors said
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