The Taiwan Railway Union and civil society groups held a demonstration outside of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications today over plans to build a high-speed rail (HSR) line from Taipei to Yilan.
They urged the ministry to instead develop a new, straighter connection between the two cities for Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) trains rather than extend the HSR, warning that building a high-speed line could decrease TRC revenues by NT$800 million (US$26.65 million).
The current HSR proposal is a 60.6km line connecting Taipei’s Nangang Station to a new site in Yilan 350m south of Yilan County Hall, in addition to a new maintenance depot.
Photo: CNA
The Ministry of Environment is due to review an environmental impact assessment of the HSR plan on Wednesday.
The groups presented a petition to the ministry today, arguing that the government and the TRC have a responsibility to develop a direct link from Taipei to Yilan as part of the railway’s corporatization.
They also asked for the ministry and TRC to provide employees with an assessment of how the HSR project would impact revenue.
If the HSR line is approved, the TRC could lose up to NT$800 million, TRU secretary-general Chu Chih-yu (朱智宇) said, adding that losses over 30 years could top NT$58 billion.
The HSR would only be 20 minutes faster than a new direct rail line, union executive director Wu Shih-chao (吳世昭) said.
However, as HSR passengers would still need to transfer to trains or shuttle buses, it would not actually be a faster option for most, Wu said.
Since the TRC became a corporation, the ministry has interfered with its operations and refused to accept responsibility for mismanagement, Wu said.
It is difficult for employees to accept a NT$800 revenue shortfall, Wu added.
The HSR project would cost nearly NT$400 billion, but only provides one station, limiting its ability to provide transportation benefits, said Lin Wang-gen (林旺根), advisor to civil group Public Nudge.
If it reduces the TRC to a feeder line, it would create a lose-lose situation for both, Lin added.
Hochen Tan (賀陳旦), a former transport minister and current advisor to Public Nudge, said the project may never break even and instead leave future generations with debt.
Ministry officials who received the petition said the Taipei-Yilan HSR project is a major national initiative and public opinions would be taken into consideration.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS