The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday said it is studying the feasibility of upgrading certain single-track railway sections to dual tracks, after the electrification of all Taiwan’s major railways has been completed.
The South Link Line became fully electrified yesterday after seven years of construction.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) marked the occasion with a ride on a Puyuma Express train from Taichung Railway Station to Taimali Station (太麻里) in Taitung County, accompanied by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).
Photo provided by trainspotter Lao Hou via CNA
Travelers would no longer need to change from electric express trains to diesel-powered trains when transferring to the South Link Line, Tsai said at a ceremony in Taitung.
The electrification of the line has made it possible to travel around the nation by train in about nine hours, Lin wrote on Facebook.
The ministry said it aims to shorten the travel time to six hours by extending the high-speed rail routes to Yilan and Pingtung counties and safely increasing the speed of trains along the east coast.
Certain railway sections only comprise a single track, the ministry said, adding that it is studying the feasibility of adding second tracks.
Nearly 70 percent of the railway line between Taitung’s Jhihben (知本) and Hualien stations is a single track, the ministry said, adding that multiple sections along the west coast and the South Link Line are also single tracks.
On these sections, there is little flexibility for adjustments to railway timetables, as trains regularly have to wait at passing loops for trains traveling in the opposite direction, the ministry said, adding train delays would worsen if there is a railway accident.
Malfunctions would at times also cause train delays, the ministry added.
The ministry seeks to upgrade single-track sections between Hualien and Jhiben totaling 112km, it said.
The Environmental Protection Administration has approved the ministry’s plan, it said, adding that the Executive Yuan is conducting a final review of the potential upgrade.
The ministry said that it is awaiting government approval before planning further details, but aims to finish the upgrade by 2027.
Moreover, there are five single-track sections on the Coastal Line, and a majority of the South Link Line are single tracks, the transport ministry said.
For these sections, it aims to complete feasibility studies by March and April in 2022, respectively, the ministry said.
Challenges to upgrades to the South Link Line would be greater, as the local geography allows little room for railway expansion, the ministry said, adding that it is considering several options, including building new railway routes.
Additional reporting by CNA
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS