Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) yesterday dismissed criticism that the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program was designed to promote the construction of light-rail systems, adding that city or county governments must practically gauge the number of passengers that would access the systems and submit plans detailing how they would achieve it.
“We would be glad to see that each county is willing to invest in and plan for the construction and operation of railway systems. However, like parents raising children, those counties cannot just ‘give birth’ to railways without caring about how to sustain them,” he said. “They need to carefully consider their options and chose one they are capable of ‘raising.’”
Hochen said that local governments that proposed to build light rails might have overestimated the number of passengers that would use the system to make it appear viable, and the ministry’s task would be to ask them to provide detailed plans on how they would gradually increase the number of passengers.
They could achieve their stated passenger goals by either rearranging bus routes or stipulating long-term urban development, he said, adding that many of the program’s proposed projects could become feasible through coordination between the ministry and local governments in the next two to three years.
Hochen made the remarks amid reports that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was dissatisfied with the way that the Executive Yuan defended the development program.
He also responded to criticism about the proposed railway projects from former premier and former transportation minister Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國), who said in a letter to editor in the Chinese-language United Daily News that the government’s top priority is to separate Taiwan Railways Administration routes from those of other public transport systems, particularly in urban areas, as doing so would help eliminate many railway crossings.
Building more light rails would only make railway crossing problems worse, Mao said.
Regarding the building of light rail systems, Mao said that the government should make decisions on a case-by-case basis, rather than widely promoting light rail construction nationwide.
In response, Hochen said it was a “misunderstanding.”
He said that the nation’s usage rate of public transport systems has remained at a stagnant 16 percent, despite the government’s extensive investment over the past eight years.
Railway projects in the program were proposed to not only boost the use of public transportation, but also to build up the railway industry, he said.
Among the 38 railway projects in the program, he said that there were only four light rail proposals in New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Ankeng (安坑) Districts, as well as in Hsinchu and Keelung.
Light rail construction in Tamsui and Ankeng began during the previous administration, whereas the ones in Hsinchu and Keelung were proposed by the local governments, he said, adding that New Taipei City is planning to build three more light rail routes.
“When railway technology advances, when people are increasingly concerned about how a railway could affect the urban area and when fewer governments want to devote funds to the building of traditional metro systems, building a light rail becomes a natural choice,” he said, adding that the ministry does not pitch superfluous projects out of nowhere.
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