THSR inaugurates three new stations

2015/12/03

Three new Taiwan High Speed Rail stations began operations Dec. 1 in the counties of Miaoli, Changhua and Yunlin, underscoring government efforts to enhance the nation’s transportation services and promote regional growth.

At an inauguration ceremony held in Yunlin, President Ma Ying-jeou said the new facilities marked a major milestone in the development of the nation’s transportation infrastructure.

Two similar events were held simultaneously in Changhua and Miaoli, and were presided over by Premier Mao Chi-kuo and Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Jian-yu, respectively.

“Rail services are an essential plank of the 12 i-Taiwan construction projects that I outlined in my campaign promises in 2008, as they offer convenient public transportation and produce 80 percent less carbon emissions than road transport,” the president said.

Given the THSR’s improving operations over the years, “it is hoped that the company’s successful business model and close relationships with its Japanese partners will help transform Taiwan into a global turnkey solution provider in public transportation services,” he added.

With the new THSR stations providing more travel options, the three county governments are gearing up to launch new tourism promotion and development measures to boost their local economies.

The latest statistics from the rail company show that average daily traffic reached 136,000 passengers last year, up from 43,000 when the services began in 2007, with revenues set to top NT$40 billion (US$1.22 billion) in 2015.

According to THSR, the three new stations, which bring the total to 11, will result in a 30 percent reduction in the number of express trains between Taipei and Kaohsiung.

The average travel time between the two municipalities for express trains, which stop at only Banqiao and Taichung stations, is 96 minutes, while trains serving all 11 stations take 138 minutes to reach their final destination.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=239679&ctNode=2194&mp=9)