The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to announce a contingency plan on Friday to facilitate the transportation of travelers during the International Workers’ Day long weekend, as a majority of Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) workers have threatened to take May 1 off to protest a plan to corporatize the agency.
The legislature’s Transportation Committee is to review and deliberate over a draft statute of Taiwan Railway Corporation on Thursday morning.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) on Friday met with the members of the Taiwan Railway Labor Union, who asked the transportation ministry to withdraw the draft statute that it has proposed to the committee, negotiate with the union and submit a new plan.
Photo: CNA
Wang rejected the union’s request, saying that “the train to reform the TRA has taken off, and there is no turning back.”
“It is our hope that all the safety measures can be thoroughly realized by a comprehensive structural reform at the railway agency,” Wang told reporters on the sidelines of the committee meeting.
“If we submit the draft statute after reaching a consensus with the union, that could take years. We cannot wait that long, as this is about public safety. The union has also proposed its version of the draft act, and we hope to rationally discuss those differences and finalize the direction of the structural reform,” he said.
While Wang has pledged to continue communications with union members, he said that the ministry has prepared a contingency plan for transportation during the long weekend, using the high-speed railway service, as well as freeway, highway and city bus systems, with the details scheduled to be announced on Friday.
“We now know that more than 90 percent of train drivers will not show up for work on May 1, but 60 percent of workers at railway stations will work on that day,” he said.
About 17,000 travelers have reserved tickets for trains departing on May 1, Wang said, adding that they can get a full refund if they cancel their tickets.
The agency has yet to estimate the number of travelers who would buy train tickets at stations on the day of travel or pay for their fare using EasyCards or electronic tickets.
The high-speed rail system can transport 25,000 passengers daily. So far, only about 20,000 people have booked tickets for train services departing on May 1, the TRA said.
“Residents in Yilan, Hualien and Taitung Counties are being punished for the ministry’s inability to resolve the conflict with TRA workers,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) said, adding that the ministry should strive to resolve the crisis before it happens.
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