An organization on Friday petitioned authorities to preserve the site of the now disused Kaohsiung Harbor Train Station from two proposed transport projects.
Built in 1900 during the Japanese colonial era, the station, originally named Takao Post, was the first railway station in Kaohsiung and a hub for railway and ocean cargo.
Decommissioned in 2008, the station is now part of the Takao Railway Museum, which is the center of a railway culture park where old rails and facilities still stand in their original places.
With its railway structure intact and rich in historic value, the park qualifies for a world heritage site nomination and should be maintained to the highest standard, but the park is in danger of disintegration with two pending transport projects, Go Hamasen Alliance said.
The Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit Bureau is planning to make use of the defunct railroad in the park for a light-rail system under construction that is to go through the park and areas near the Port of Kaohsiung, the alliance said.
Separately, Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau plans to build a large bus transit terminal in the park’s vicinity to lessen traffic congestion around Sizihwan (西子灣) and National Sun Yat-sen University, which has been caused by the massive influx of Chinese tourists, the alliance said.
The alliance and residents of the Penglai (蓬萊) community have called for the relocation of the proposed transit terminal to ensure that the integrity of the park and its railway system, saying that Kaohsiung City Government should refrain from building anything that might stay idle after completion.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
A pro-Russia hacker group has launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the Taiwanese government in retaliation for President William Lai’s (賴清德) comments suggesting that China should have a territorial dispute with Russia, an information security company said today. The hacker group, NoName057, recently launched an HTTPs flood attack called “DDoSia” targeting Taiwanese government and financial units, Radware told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). Local tax bureaus in New Taipei City, Keelung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan were mentioned by the hackers. Only the Hsinchu Local Tax Bureau site appeared to be down earlier in the day, but was back
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