The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) yesterday said it has not yet decided whether to raise ticket prices, although the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has given it the green light.
Based on the new scheme announced by the ministry at the end of last month, THSRC’s base fare is to be raised from NT$4.009 per kilometer to NT$4.134 per kilometer.
Should the high-speed rail operator decide to adopt the new scheme, a one-way ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung’s Zuoying (左營) would rise from NT$1,490 (US$49.12) to NT$1,570.
Riders would have to pay an additional NT$160 if they were to purchase a round-trip ticket, while a family of four would have to shell out NT$640 more.
A one-way fare from Taipei to Taichung would increase by NT$40 to NT$740, while a ticket from Taipei to Tainan would rise from NT$1,350 to NT$1,425.
People traveling from Taipei to Hsinchu would have to pay NT$15 more for a one-way ticket, which would cost NT$305.
The Bureau of High Speed Rail said the new base fare scheme was approved based on changes in the consumer price index.
The last time the high-speed rail system’s base fare was adjusted was in 2013, when it increased from NT$3.655 per kilometer to NT$4.009 per kilometer, the bureau said.
THSRC increased ticket prices accordingly in the same year, with a one-way ticket from Taipei to Zuoying costing NT$1,630.
However, with the company on the brink of bankruptcy in 2015, the government invested NT$30 billion in THSRC, restructured its finances and became its largest shareholder.
Ticket prices were then rolled back to pre-2013 levels.
The bureau said it is up to the company to decide it if wants to adjust ticket prices this time.
THSRC also issued a statement, saying the final decision will have to be made by its board of directors.
“We will submit a proposal to the company’s board, asking them to consider the terms of our contract with the government, as well as the high-speed rail system’s operating costs, market competitiveness and passenger demands,” the company said.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said the ministry has not received a response from THSRC, urging it to carefully evaluate all possibilities before making a decision.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS