Mon, Mar 13, 2006 page2

• Railway administration to alter timetable again

  NEW SCHEDULE Railway officials said they are axing some trains on the Ilan line, while 11 express trains will also take a little longer to get to their destinations

  • By Shelley Shan / STAFF REPORTER
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  Commuters will need to check a new train schedule starting on Wednesday, as the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) has decided to change it again.

  TRA representative Liu Wei-ming (劉煒明) said last week that the administration had already printed 300,000 copies of the new train schedules, which will be available to the public for free.

  According to the administration, 440 scheduled trains will be affected, including 120 express trains.

  In particular, 11 express trains from Taipei to Kaohsiung will require an additional six to eight minutes to reach their destinations.

  The administration said the changes were made because the Taipei-Ilan Freeway will take away some of its passengers. As such, it will cancel some trains along the Ilan line. In addition, some express trains on the line will skip several stops, including Fulong (福隆) and Gongliao (貢寮).

  A new schedule was also required because the number of passengers varies between the weekdays and holidays, the administration said.

  Last year, the railway administration decided to change the train schedule to facilitate construction work in Nankang. However, the changes have led to constant train delays, upsetting many passengers.

  A commuter who identified himself as "A-Hau" (阿豪), writing in an online forum, said that one time he was waiting for a train that was said to be on time, but the station announced it would be delayed by six minutes. Six minutes later, the station announced that passengers would have to wait another eight minutes. They were then asked to wait another 15 minutes after that, he said.

  The railway administration seems embarrassed to tell people of a delay if it is going to be more than 20 minutes, he said.

  "This is our TRA," he wrote, "Should we let this continue?"

  Many see the latest schedule changes as reflecting the railway administration's preference to change arrival times than reinforce the impression of frequent delays.

  The railway administration said the change will not seriously affect the operation of short-distance commuter trains, adding that the adjustments are only minor.

  Any future changes to train schedules will be capped at two times a year, it added.
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