|
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) received
the green light on December 26 from the Ministry of Transportation and
Communications (MOTC) to begin commercial operations in 2007.
THSRC Chief Executive Officer Ou Chin-der said the company plans to offer
a 50-percent discount price of NT$730 (US$22.3) for a one-way trip between
Panchiao in
Taipei
County
and Tsoying in
Kaohsiung
city during a week-long trial period. He added that the plan still requires the
approval of the THSRC's board of directors.
The launch of the
345 km
high-speed rail system has been delayed four times since 2003. The
communications ministry gave the THSRC permission to begin passenger services
amid controversy and claims by members of a safety inspection panel that the
high-speed rail system is unsafe because it still has many uncorrected faults.
Meanwhile, the National Police Administration's Railway Police Bureau
indicated that it has formed a high speed rail section consisting of 223 police,
with 175 having already reported for duty and the remaining 48 yet to be
recruited.
The 345-km railway linking
Taipei
and
Kaohsiung
is expected to reduce travel time between
Taiwan
's two largest cities to 90 minutes from the current four-and-a-half hours.
The railway line traverses 18 counties and major cities and 68 townships
in Tawian's western corridor. The
initial passenger services will cover eight stations:
Taipei
, Panchiao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu,
Taichung
, Chiayi,
Tainan
and
Kaohsiung
.
(Source:
Central News Agency) | 