While the government remains enthusiastic about railways, others suggest large-scale spending on new infrastructure is misguided.
The News Lens
Date: 2018/03/04
By: Matthew Fulco
The high-speed rail (HSR) has pride of place among Taiwan’s contemporary
Credit: AP Photo/Danny Zhan
infrastructure. Modeled after Japan’s shinkansen (bullet train), the HSR is fast and efficient. Running along the island’s populous West Coast at top speeds of 300 km/hour, it reaches 90 percent of the population in just 90 minutes. In its decade of service, the HSR has boasted an impeccable safety record as well.
While the HSR faced daunting debt at its launch in 2007, surging ridership in recent years has brought the company into the black. In 2016, it posted net profits of NT$4.1 billion (US$137 million) and NT$40.6 billion in revenue.
The government has vowed to integrate the HSR and TRA, boost rail service in eastern Taiwan, expand urban rapid mass transit, and use rail transport to promote tourism in central and southern Taiwan.
In contrast, outside of greater Taipei, the rest of Taiwan’s rail system is ailing. The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), operator of Taiwan’s largest rail system, estimates that it will lose NT$2.8 billion (US$93.4 million) this year. That unenviable performance will actually be an improvement over 2017, when TRA recorded NT$3.4 billion in losses.
[FULL STORY]