The Railway Bureau yesterday said that it would spend NT$1.13 billion (US$38.12 million) to upgrade the 16 railway stations along the South Link Line by 2024.
The line would become fully electrified by the end of this year, Bureau Chief Engineer Wen Tai-hsin (溫代欣) said in a presentation at Taitung Railway Station.
As the number of passengers accessing the line is expected to increase in the near term, the bureau has decided to renovate the facilities in the stations along the line, Wen said.
Photo: CNA
The renovation project, which is to begin next year, would ensure that each station features the distinct characteristics and cultures of the locality, he said.
The bureau would also begin researching the feasibility of two other projects, Wen said.
One is to study the possibility of enhancing operation speeds on the railway line connecting Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties; and the other is to study whether the South Link Line can be upgraded to a dual-track system and whether an express railway service can be launched on the line, he said.
The bureau would retain consulting firms to evaluate the feasibility of the projects, Wen said, adding that the evaluations would cost NT$22 million and NT$27.9 million respectively.
The consulting firms would be asked to deliver reports in 12 months and 18 months respectively, he added.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications has made building a “national express railway network” its guiding policy for the construction of railway systems, which would allow people to travel around the nation within six hours, the ministry said.
People can travel from Taipei to Kaohsiung in 90 minutes using the high-speed rail system.
As the ministry is planning to extend the high-speed rail line to Yilan and Pingtung counties, the travel time from Taipei to Hualien, as well as from Kaohsiung to Taitung, would each be reduced to 90 minutes with the combined use of the high-speed rail and Taiwan Railways Administration systems, it said.
The travel time from Hualien to Taitung would be reduced to 70 minutes with the introduction of an express railway service, it added.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said that transportation would provide the basis for the development of the tourism industry.
Visitors could travel around Taiwan freely if the government made it possible for them to circle the island in six hours in either direction, he said.
The renovation of the railway stations along the South Link Line would not only benefit the residents of Taitung, but also domestic and international tourists, he said.
The renovations would involve the Dawu (大武), Longsi (瀧溪), Jinlun (金崙), Duoliang (多良), Taimali (太麻里), Jhihben (知本) and Kangle (康樂) stations in Taitung County, and the Kanding (崁頂), Nanchou (南州), Jhenan (鎮安), Linbian (林邊), Chiadong (佳冬), Donghai (東海), Chialu (加祿), Neishih (內獅) and Fangshan (枋山) stations in Pingtung County.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
RSS