The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to raise the speed of express trains on the east coast railway system until high-speed rail becomes available around Taiwan, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.
Wang made the remarks on the sidelines of a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, when asked about former transportation minister Chen Chien-yu’s (陳建宇) criticism of his vision of building an “around-the-nation high-speed rail system,” which Wang has advocated for.
Wang also told Formosa TV host Hu Wan-ling (胡婉玲) in an interview on Saturday last week that Taiwan would have 20 high-speed rail stations once the system is accessible across the nation.
Photo: CNA
“I respect ex-minister Chen’s thoughts on the issue,” Wang said.
“Countries around the world are aiming to achieve a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050, and public transportation is a key to achieving that goal. As such, we need to set a long-term goal for railway infrastructure as well,” Wang said.
“However, our short and medium-term goals of increasing the operational speed of express train services to the east coast remain unchanged. We are still carrying on our reforms with the Taiwan Railways Administration [TRA],” he added.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
On Sunday, Chen wrote on Facebook that Wang should “wake up” from this impractical dream.
“The government is engaging in a series of projects to improve the train system on the east coast, from the purchase of new intercity trains to the installation of a dual-track system. Problems that have been plaguing the TRA for decades can only be addressed if the agency is transformed into a state-run corporation in three years, and all these projects are foundations on which the TRA should build to become a state-run company,” Chen said.
Wang’s commitment to extending the high-speed rail system across the nation would not only lower TRA employee morale, but would also lead to the fall of the agency, Chen said.
Chen also said that transportation policies should be formulated after taking various factors into consideration, not just technology and imagination.
Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties have a combined population of about 1 million, which is expected to decrease as Taiwan is an aging society, he said.
“Once the high-speed rail system is available in all three counties, holiday travelers would spend fewer days on the east coast, even though it has many natural scenic spots. This would subsequently reduce business opportunities. Is that what residents on the east coast want?” Chen asked.
Wang should not make irresponsible promises given that high-speed extensions to Yilan and Pingtung counties have yet to be built, Chen said, adding that the ministry has yet to conduct a feasibility study of a trans-Taiwan high-speed rail system.
No business would establish a branch in or around a high-speed rail station if there is no science park or high-tech industry cluster nearby, Chen said.
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