The Ministry of Transportation and Communications aims to transform the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) from a government agency into a state-run corporation by January 2024, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.
Wang told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony in Keelung that the ministry plans to submit the draft statutes governing the establishment of Taiwan Railways Corp (台鐵公司化條例) for review at the next legislative session, which begins on Friday.
“I have in recent months met with TRA workers across the nation and explained to them the necessity of turning the agency into a state-run corporation. I have heard their concerns about changes in salaries and benefits once a railway company is established and what the government would do with the debts that the agency has accumulated over the years,” he said.
Photo: CNA
The TRA would operate more efficiently, flexibly and independently with the organizational structure of a corporation, Wang said, adding that it would be better equipped to run a safe railway service.
Asked about the Cabinet’s new policy of gradually easing COVID-19 restrictions, Wang said that many in the tourism industry hoped for a faster reopening of borders to tourism, but the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) only plans to allow business travelers to enter at this phase.
“We will discuss with the CECC changes to the disease prevention guidelines. It is our hope that Taiwan can gradually open for tourists once the situation changes for the better and the vaccination rate is high enough to cope with a COVID-19 outbreak,” he said.
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