Taiwan Govt Creates Task Force To Oversee High Speed Rail
4 October 2005

TAIPEI (Dow Jones)--The Taiwan government has created a task force to oversee a NT$480 billion project to build a high-speed rail system linking the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung.

The task force, which will be led by Premier Frank Hsieh, plans to increase the government's number of seats on Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp.'s (2633.OT) 12-member board from the two it has now, Hsieh said in a statement Monday.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications will work out a 'reasonable' number of seats for the government that corresponds with its 11.9% stake in Taiwan High Speed Rail, Hsieh said. The government controls the 11.9% stake directly and through companies in which it has a stake of over 50%.

Taiwan High Speed's shareholders will elect a new board in May 2006.

The government wants more control over the progress of the project and effective 'crisis management,' the premier said. The task force was created after the government-linked China Aviation Development Foundation and China Technical Consultants Inc. together injected NT$7.5 billion in Taiwan High Speed Rail, which was holding its latest fund-raising round.

The builder of the island's first bullet train has delayed fund-raising plans several times after it failed to commit its shareholders to provide more capital as scheduled.

'After the government helped raise money for the project, we want to oversee the entire project and ensure the train begins to operate next year,' said Executive Yuan Secretary-general Cho Jung-tai Tuesday.

'The government is our partner anyway, according to the original build-operate-transfer contract,' said Ted Chia, a public affairs assistant vice president of Taiwan High Speed Rail.

The task force, which will meet once every two weeks, will gather officials from the transport, finance, interior and other ministries.

The project's five founding shareholders combined now own a 28.5% stake. Of the founders, the largest shareholder, Continental Engineering Corp. (2526.TW), owns only 7.2% in the project.

According to Cho, the government plans to replace one of its current representative controllers on the board, Kuang-Yu Chang, with the deputy minister of the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Yuh-Lin Lee.

Cho added that the government will assist the company to resolve its differences with Japan's Shinkansen consortium, which is responsible for the system's core electrical system. In September, Taiwan High Speed Rail said the service's launch will be delayed by a year to October 2006 because of delays in completing the electrical system.

The entire project is 86% completed, with the core electrical system behind schedule, the Cabinet said in Monday's statement. By the end of August, 63% of the core electrical system was complete, said Chia.

Opening in October. Almost there!!! Everything is just awesome - train design, colors, station designs, tracks, bridges, tunnels, and landscapes.


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Superb pictures!

Great pictures, awesome project.

Here's some info about the project (from SSP):
owner: Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation
network: one trunk line from Taipei to Kaohsiung (345 km)
track construction: 73% viaduct (252 km), 18% tunnel (62 km), 9% at grade (31 km)
number of stations: 8
Taipei, Banciao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung
construction period: 2000 -
construction cost: US$ 16 billion

rolling stock: Taiwan Shinkansen 700T
manufacturers: Kawasaki, Nippon Sharyo, Hitachi
specs: modified body of the shinkansen 700 with the core system of the 500
design speed: 350 km/h
max operating speed: 300 km/h
signaling system: European standard

revenue service:
operating hours: 06:00 - 24:00
2006 target ridership: 148,000 per day
frequency: 10 min
max. economy fare: NT$3.459/km (US$.09/km), Taipei - Kaohsiung = US$35
trains per day: 88 in each direction
non-stop express (Taipei - Kaohsiung): 17 in each direction, 80 min
regular (Taipei - Kaohsiung): 120 min

official website:
http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/index.asp

Route map:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f355/chung68/THSRCROUTE.jpg

Cool! Sometimes the interference of this railway on landscape seems just brutal... but then I think - it itself is landscape value.
http://www.thsrc.com.tw/images/gallery/photo/thsrc_g06_63.jpg

OMG!! Beautiful!

WOW, incredible pictures!

Great looking train, fantastic line!

just, WOW

Holy %&@$

US$16billion????? BLOODY HELL!!!!!

That's huge. And the Australian government can't find AU$8billion to finish duplicating the Pacific Highway(Which kills more Australians each year than all violence related crimes). That's so so sad for Australia and so so fantastic for Taiwan.

And trains running every 10 minutes. Do people actually commute to Taipei from the rest of Tawian???

Great pictures.

These trains look great. I like that orange/white paint scheme

Wow impressive... there will finally be a high-speed link for the large cities of western Taiwan.

wow this thing is no joke

Currently the Netherlands has something similiar being contructed, however much smaller and with the cost of only 6.8billion euro. We need better rail and road transport in the Netherlands though so im happy with every project they start

edit : figured i might just aswell post some nice pics .. I <3 trains and railways :cheers:

more pictures @ http://www.hslzuid.nl

http://www.hslzuid.nl/hsl/Images/Aquaduct%20Ringvaart%20(TPoktober2004-07)_tcm51-11296.jpg

http://www.hslzuid.nl/hsl/Images/TP041006%20HSL%20AQUADUCTRINGVAART%5BJP%5D09_1024x685_tcm51-11564.JPG

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rotterdam my city ( this is what i see everymornin when entering the city :)

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all the poles are because the netherlands has swampy ground and the rails cant be allowed to even sink a little bit

http://www.hslzuid.nl/hsl/Images/TP050929%20HSL%20Aansluiting%20RdamCS%5BJP%5D028_tcm51-37810.jpg

US$16billion????? BLOODY HELL!!!!!

That's huge. And the Australian government can't find AU$8billion to finish duplicating the Pacific Highway(Which kills more Australians each year than all violence related crimes). That's so so sad for Australia and so so fantastic for Taiwan.

And trains running every 10 minutes. Do people actually commute to Taipei from the rest of Tawian???
wow...I hate to ruin your anger fest, but $16Billion US is actually pretty cheap for such project. Congrats to taiwan

wow rotterdam looks great

Wow amazing set of pics from two different places...............

wow...I hate to ruin your anger fest, but $16Billion US is actually pretty cheap for such project. Congrats to taiwan

Yes i realise that it's pretty cheap for a Shinkansen train, but still, that's a hell of a lot of money and it just really pisses me off that nothing like this is happening in Australia. If fact if a job that big was happening in Australia, it would most likely be the largest project in Australian history. Isn't that depressing.

But still, congrats to Taiwan and just to repeat my earlier question, how many people are actually going to use this service. Every 10 minutes seems to be extremely regular. However i do like that the service is only US$35.

How much an improvement if the Shinkansen over current road system? How long does it take to drive from Taipei to Kaohsiung?

How much an improvement if the Shinkansen over current road system? How long does it take to drive from Taipei to Kaohsiung?

about 6 hours. but they have a low speed limit there, like 60mph maximum.

6hours (now)->80minutes!! (when the line would be finished) What a difference!!

What a fantastic line!! 73% on viaducts, 18 in tunnels and only 6 on the ground :eek:, and the Shinkansen is also amazing (I think that the painting is better than in Japan)
PS: The pics from Netherland are also fantastic, My favourite:
http://www.hslzuid.nl/hsl/Images/Aansluiting%20bestaand%20spoor%20Rotterdam%20CS%20(TPokt2004-018)%20Groot_tcm51-11290.jpg

awesome :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

nice train...but, no enviromental awareness.

The Netherlands' design is much better. I especially like the bridges.

I think this thread is not a competiton, we are talking just about Taiwan not about Netherlands... just open other thread to talk about it.

Amazing project and great pictures of shinknasen, can someone post some stuff like speed, number of trains running... Thanks

nice train...but, no enviromental awareness.

I wouldn't say that! Maybe it is somewhat of an eyesore (to some), but a lot better for the environment than a highway! Electrified trains vs. 6 lanes or whatever of cars. This may stick out like a sore thumb, but all in all, I would say it is the lesser evil of the two options.

And as far as the Netherlands is concerned, don't take the attention of the thread from Taiwan!

nice train...but, no enviromental awareness.

From THSR website
http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/train/green.asp
The advanced high speed transportation should be developed toward high performance, high capacity, and environmental friendly.

Land Use Efficiency
In the land use experience of foreign countries, small vehicle is four times of railroad and bus is two times of railroad. It is obviously that railroad is more efficient in land use. For high speed railroad in Taiwan, the land use is 1/3 of Chung-Shan highway and 1/5 of the second highway.

http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/images/train_pic_05.gif

Energy consumption
For energy consumption, small vehicle costs 2.5 times of THSR per kilometer and airplane costs 4 times of THSR per kilometer. For transportation capacity and energy conservation, according to Japanese experience, though private car is popular among all transportation, it consumes the highest energy. On the contrary, the railroad consumes much less energy. Above data shows that the railroad has the economy advantages in high transportation capacity and low energy consumption.

http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/images/train_pic_06.gif

Air Pollution Prevention
Railroad and high speed railway are generally adopting electric power; hence, it is low in air pollution. According to statistics, air pollution caused by railroad is much lower than that of highway and airline. It meets the green concept of the 21 st century.

http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/images/train_pic_07.gif

NICE!!

I wish the US invested as much energy in their railroads...

NICE!!

I wish the US invested as much energy in their railroads...
Well we have a great mission to defend ourselves and our allies. Railways are useless for fulfilling it.

© ignoramus

Taken From A TRA Train En Route To Kaohsiung Station
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i122/ignoramuses/81aafbc3.jpg

incredible!!!! And has a great extension!

I wouldn't say that! Maybe it is somewhat of an eyesore (to some), but a lot better for the environment than a highway! Electrified trains vs. 6 lanes or whatever of cars. This may stick out like a sore thumb, but all in all, I would say it is the lesser evil of the two options.

And as far as the Netherlands is concerned, don't take the attention of the thread from Taiwan!
I agree this looks a lot better than if a highway were to be built and more efficient. In a way I think it adds to the landscape :)

Opening SOON. Almost there!!! Everything is just awesome - train design, colors, station designs, tracks, bridges, tunnels, and landscapes. it's a hybrid system based on japanese shinkansen train technology and elements of european track infrastructure. take a ride whenever you're visiting taiwan!!

(here's the full thread in the taiwan forum)

http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=10534042#post10534042


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NEW PICS OF TSOYING STATION!!! AWESOME!!!

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NEW PICS OF TAINAN STATION!!!

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NEW PICS OF HSINCHU STATION!!! IT'S A BEAUT!!!!

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Spectacular! :uh: :drool: :master:

wowwwwwwwww, nice trains, thats really good for this province, infrastructure is improving

Spectacular Taiwan and with the point of technology

Looks so graceful.

Seems like they didn't cut any corners costwise.
Gotta love those stations in the yet undeveloped area's.

Awsome, how many KM of Bridges are there !? :eek:
Nice design of the Stations too.

Ah... I love those clocks. Simple ,elegant, and clear, it doesn't get any better then that. It's weird to say this but, HSR is actually looking a lot cooler than Shinkansen in Japan :D

awesome.....

stunning trains :eek2:

how fast will they be?

做人要厚道！

目前世界。。

impressive ^_^

Very impressive indeed. How much did the whole thing cost to build? The British government wouldn't dare even think about doing something like this...

stunning trains :eek2:

how fast will they be?


300 km/h (186 mph) but it went to 315 km/h (197 mph) during testing

Very impressive indeed. How much did the whole thing cost to build? The British government wouldn't dare even think about doing something like this...

$16 billion dollars at least. the most expensive project in the world. taipei also had the most expensive subway system ever built in the world and it's still expanding.

$16 billion dollars at least. the most expensive project in the world. taipei also had the most expensive subway system ever built in the world and it's still expanding.



Nice station and train. But as for being the most expensive for both the subway and this HSR its all because of its long delay and corruption rather than the actual cost of the project.

Awesome!

wow

Taiwan seems like the perfect place for a project like this to happen

Nice station and train. But as for being the most expensive for both the subway and this HSR its all because of its long delay and corruption rather than the actual cost of the project.

ya that's true for the taipei mrt. but from what i remember reading about the launch of the HSR project few years ago in several articles, it was budgeted at appx. $14 billion dollars already when they began construction and was already touted as the world's most expensive construction project, at least in terms of transportation project.

So clean and out of this world!

Congratulations!
It is shiny!

Looks absolutlely fantastic.... world class.

The Australian government should take note. With all of Australia's financial power in the region, we still have shitty public transport and motorways in Sydney. The Australian government should finance a high speed link from Newcastle to the gong.

The track looks so cluttered for it. It almost reminds me of a spaceship.

amazing! congrats :okay:

Is there any reason why pretty much all of it is elevated?? im comparing to CTRL and the TGV network were most of the tracks run on the surface?

Is there any reason why pretty much all of it is elevated?? im comparing to CTRL and the TGV network were most of the tracks run on the surface?

cuz taiwan is a dense, populated island and sparse land is rare and expensive.

The track looks so cluttered for it. It almost reminds me of a spaceship.

i dont really know what that means. are you on crack?

Gorgeous! :drool:

It makes me wonder how this will affect China Airlines, Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT), GreatWing Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Eva Air, Uni Air and TransAsia Airways. Would this greatly reduce the amount of people that want to fly?

Is there any reason why pretty much all of it is elevated?? im comparing to CTRL and the TGV network were most of the tracks run on the surface?

Over 95% of the track is elevated because Taiwan is so dense otherwise it would be "low-speed" rail.

Nice station and train. But as for being the most expensive for both the subway and this HSR its all because of its long delay and corruption rather than the actual cost of the project.

Wrong, even before the delay Taiwan High Speed Rail is still the most expensive project.

Taiwan High - Speed Rail Steams Toward Xmas Launch

By REUTERS
Published: November 30, 2006


TAOYUAN, Taiwan ( Reuters) - A super-fast rail line, the world's second to use ground-breaking Japanese bullet train technology, is steering toward a year-end service launch in Taiwan after years of delays.

``We expect to have a Christmas gift'' for the people of Taiwan, said Samuel Lin, deputy chief operating officer for the line's builder, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (2633.TWO), at one of the line's first test drives for the public on Thursday.

``We hope our contribution is not only to give convenience to the public. It's another kind of revolutionary development.''

Nearly a decade in the making, the line and its sister line in Japan are the world's fastest using conventional rails, with top speeds of up to 315 kilometers per hour.

The world's fastest commercial train, which uses magnetic levitation technology, is a line capable of speeds of more than 400 kph connecting downtown Shanghai with its suburban airport.

Travel on the Taiwan train's main route, connecting the island's top two cities of Taipei in the north with Kaohsiung in the south, takes some 90 minutes to cover 345 km (214 miles), much less than the current five hours on existing rail service.

During a test run on Thursday -- one of the first times the line has been open to outsiders -- the train flew along its north-to-south route, whizzing past rice fields and palm trees.

Inside the train that seats up to 989, the compartments are quiet and comfortable, much like the line's Japanese counterpart.

In sharp contrast, the train's ride to the present has been anything but smooth, involving numerous cost overruns resulting in a US$15 billion price tag. Technical issues have also dogged the project, including two minor derailments -- both attributed to human error -- in recent weeks during trial runs.

SAFETY ISSUES

Safety has been one of the most recent concerns, with the train's operator required to clear a number of hurdles set by the transportation ministry before it can launch service.

Trains must complete safe test-runs for one month, checking braking ability at stations and meeting other smooth operation conditions before the formal launch will be permitted, a ministry committee decided on Tuesday.

``It's safe. For me it's not a problem,'' said Yvan Beuraert, one of the train's drivers, many of whom come from Europe. ``To have small problems is normal.''

The line will eventually have a dozen stations, with the capacity to handle a train every three to four minutes. Operators are initially aiming for 150,000 passengers a day, which would represent 70 percent of capacity.

Two Japanese consortia, led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (7011.T), were awarded contracts for the tracks, which they built using Japanese bullet train, or Shinkansen, technology.

Many people may initially be drawn to the trains as a sort of tourist attraction. Train watching, too, has become a spectator sport for those living in some of the smaller communities along the route.

In the town of Hsinchu outside Taipei, thousands of people have been gathering each weekend for guided tours of the local station and to watch as trains go by.

``Expectations are high,'' said Ann Li, a public affairs specialist at the rail operator. ``When the train comes, they go 'wow!' and applaud.''

A one-way Taipei-Kaohsiung ticket will cost T$1,490 when service starts, 30 percent less than an economy-class air ticket.

Over 95% of the track is elevated because Taiwan is so dense otherwise it would be "low-speed" rail.

I think it is more an enginering thing; long distance trackbuilding in a tropic climate is less hard to do with elevated tracks fixed to a steady foundation, becourse the behavior of the tracks is better to calculate.

With elevated tracks there will also be less problems with severe rain, temprature change, earthquakes other traffic, etc.

wow...i like the orangie train..the taiwanese bullet train...cool!

Nearly a decade in the making, the line and its sister line in Japan are the world's fastest using conventional rails, with top speeds of up to 315 kilometers per hour.


Do not forget that in France and Germany, TGV and German ICE run at 320kph. The new spanish high speed line with the german velaro will open soon with a top speed of 350kph.
The new line in France will open in June 2007. This has been developped for a 320kph speed, but tests are actually running and many high speed lines in France will maybe be upgraded to 360kph.

BTW Congrats' to Taiwan for this Spectacular line! So many bridges, channels, and design stations! That's pure beauty !!!
Well done!!

some videos:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_OfB8TMil84&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=v4zOcbHLKPk&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HfT_msJjxog&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YRi1pyZw8is

Wrong, even before the delay Taiwan High Speed Rail is still the most expensive project.


Whats the main reason for the cost? I'm really curious how they could make it the world's most expensive rail project considering the size of Taiwan. Japan,France, and Germany all have greater HS networks and I'm pretty sure they have more stations and related HS infrastructures than Taiwan. Is it the material, labor, land value, the entire elevated rail reason? enlighten me.

^ this is just an educated guess, but most likely the HSR project in taiwan was built from ground up, including the track, stations, equipments, personnels, etc... whereas Japan, and EU's HSR uses existing train stations and railroad tracks which greatly reduces the construction cost.

picture spamming...:j/k:

but did you really need to post all those pics to make us see the development?

Nice train and nice station though...:)

but did you really need to post all those pics to make us see the development?

I dont understand your question. Would you rather just read text and not see pics of the development? How boring that would be.

some more pics of taichung station. i couldn't post the pics from this dude's flickr album. so here's the link:


http://flickr.com/photos/jdhuang/sets/72157594389593621/with/304872305/

some more photos of hsinchu station:


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it is really impressive and spectacular subway system ever built in the whole world.must be expensive for every train,like a amazing dragon flying in the sky.so many and many inhabitants take photo for them.never express with any language

Is the land around some of the rural(I'm guessing?) stations marked off for development. It looks like it with the street grid surrouding the stations in place.

Very impressive! I would love to have something like that...so modern (hell, even futuristic), clean, and sleek!

Futuristic, very impressive, awesome and fantastic!

That's some SERIOUS infrastructure there. HOW MUCH CONCRETE DID THEY USE?!?!?

I dont understand your question. Would you rather just read text and not see pics of the development? How boring that would be.

Nooo... i like pics but that first page was just over flooding with pics.

Anyway cool projects...and cool train.

Very impressive indeed ! Congratulation !

Taiwan president takes 'bullet train,' shrugs off safety concerns

TAICHUNG, TAIWAN, Jan 1, 2007 (AFP) - President Chen Shui-bian spoke highly of Taiwan's newly completed high-speed rail system while taking a test ride Monday, four days before the controversial project begins commercial test runs.

Chen repeatedly gave the thumbs-up gesture during the trip, which took him to central Taichung and southern Kaohsiung cities.

"It's very smooth," Chen told reporters covering the trip, adding that much of the criticism and safety concerns about the system was groundless.

The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) said 10 days of commercial test runs for the much heralded bullet train system will begin Friday, with fares at a 50 percent discount.

THSRC said the launch date of full-fare commerical operations was yet to be decided but some media speculated it would be January 15.

When completed, the 345-kilometer (215-mile) service will link the capital Taipei in the north with Kaohsiung in 90 minutes.

At the start of full operations, THSRC plans 19 return trips each day and eventually hopes to significantly increase services.

The high speed rail system marks the first export of Japan's famous bullet train, which can reach speeds of 300 kilometers per hour. The Taiwan system is designed to transport 100 million passengers a year.

THSRC had originally hoped to start commercial runs on October 31, 2005 but delays thwarted that ambition and cost the company an extra 19.3 billion dollars (590 million US), according to company officials.

The transport ministry last month imposed new safety requirements after a minor derailment on November 24 during a test run, which followed a similar incident on October 31.

Japan's Taiwan Shinkansen Consortium won the three billion US dollar contract in 1998 for the supply of the core system -- trains and carriages as well as signalling, electrification, communications and operation control.

THSR train services between Banqiao Station (outside Taipei City Center) & Zuoying Station (outside Kaohsiung City Center) commences on 5 January 2007 for 10 days. The official opening is expected after this period.

Tickets for journey made during this period went on sale on 2 January 2007 at half price. In general, fares for the 90 minute trip between Banqiao and Zuoying Stations are about twice as expensive as the cheapest Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) conventional trains which take 6 hours.

Taiwan 'Shinkansen' debuts
Toshinao Ishii/Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

The first train on the newly opened Taiwan High Speed Rail line bound for Kaohsiung leaves Banciao Station at 7 a.m. Friday.Taiwan's new high-speed train system incorporating Shinkansen bullet train technology for the first time outside Japan started operations Friday.

With a maximum speed of 300 kph, the Taiwan High Speed Rail train covers the 345 kilometers between Taipei in the north and Kaohsiung, the second-largest city on the island in the south, in 90 minutes.

A section of the line between Taipei and neighboring city Banciao, however, will not open until February, due to a delay in construction.

The first trains left Banciao and two other stations at 7 a.m., Friday. The train will do 19 round trips a day for the time being, but more are scheduled.

The train system was built by a Japanese consortium comprising Mitsui & Co., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Toshiba Corp., that won the contract from former President Lee Teng-hui's administration in 1999, fending off competition from a European consortium.

The type of train used for the new line is the 700T, the same type as the Nozomi express trains used on the JR Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen line.

The total cost ran to 480 billion New Taiwan dollars (1.73 trillion yen).

While Taiwan does not maintain diplomatic relations with Japan, the project is seen as a symbol of economic and technological exchange in the private sector between Japan and Taiwan.

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Great news.

Passengers departing on train #415 should proceed to track 2 for boarding.....

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Taipei Banciao Station

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Taoyuan Station, 14 minutes

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Hsinchu Station, 28 minutes

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Taichung Station, 55 minutes

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Chiayi Station, 77 minutes

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Tainan Station, 103 minutes

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Kaohsiung Zuoying Station, 120 minutes

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Thank you! Enjoy your stay in Kaohsiung.

Superb!

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At least 5 tunnels in a row~~~ It looks really cool.

Amazing project!!!

I just ask myself, if it was necessary to built so much bridges


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Amazing project!!!

I just ask myself, if it was necessary to built so much bridges

Bridges can be built to absorb shock wave withstanding earthquake to avoid major damage interruptting train services for a long time; where building on ground doesn't serve that funtion. Also, it also reduces the environmental impact on existing ground, i.e. less regrading.

Absolutely amazing system.

Looks like a fantastic system! Are the tracks elevated for the whole length of the system?

Looks like a fantastic system! Are the tracks elevated for the whole length of the system?

73% viaduct (252 km)
18% tunnel (62 km)
9% at grade (31 km)

HSR system sets several world records

2007/1/5
The China Post staff

Taiwan's high-speed rail (HSR) system, which officially debuted this morning, has set quite a few records domestically and globally, in addition to linking the island's north and south and dramatically altering its economic landscape.

It is the world's most expensive single BOT (build, operate and transfer) project, with total construction cost running up to NT$480.6 billion.

The system has witnessed the injection of the largest amount of engineering manpower ever seen for a transportation infrastructure project, with more than 2,000 professional engineers from over 20 countries as well as over 20,000 domestic and foreign workers joining the project.

Also, up to 73 percent of the rail system is elevated railway and bridges, 18 percent tunnels, and 9 percent on ground roads, with the world's longest elevated rail, running from Pakuashan in central county of Changhua to Tsoying in Kaohsiung, measuring 157.317 kilometers.

The system has a total of 48 tunnels, including the longest one of 7.4 kilometers crossing the Pakuashan in Changhua County. But it took only 17 months to carve the Pakuashan tunnel, marking the shortest time required for similar engineering in Taiwan.

In addition, the system is also the world's first outside of Japan based on bullet train technology.

Trains will speed along the 345 km (214 mile) line roughly every hour, coming close to the island's major southern port and hitting eight stations in densely populated western Taiwan.

The launch of the rail will cut travel time between Taiwan's top two cities, Taipei in the north and Kaohsiung in the south, to about 90 minutes from up to five hours on the conventional rail service.

The system represents a colossal effort to provide state of the art transportation solutions to Taiwan's 23 million people, while conserving energy and preserving the environment.

Construction of the system began in 2000 with an original launch date of October 2005, but a delay in the completion of the project's core electrical systems forced a postponement to October 2006.

The service was further held up after the operator failed to obtain a safety certification from independent verification and validation firm Lloyd's Register. The certification was eventually obtained on Nov. 20.

Nevertheless, the government has high hopes about the economic benefits of the service which will cut three hours off the current four-and-a-half hour journey between Taipei and Kaohsiung.

President Chen Shui-bian, who took a test ride on Monday, ambitiously asserted that "the revolutionary vehicle would virtually transform Taiwan into a city state like Singapore."

Possibilities of commuting to Taipei from central Taichung or even Kaohsiung, unthinkable previously, are now being widely discussed.

And land prices around the line's eight stations -- formerly rice paddies or sugarcane farms -- have soared, turning hundreds of farmers into millionaires.

The railway system will be managed by the THSRC for 35 years before it is turned over to state control under the terms of the build-operate-transfer project.

Japan's Taiwan Shinkansen Consortium won the US$3 billion contract in 1998 for the supply of the core system -- trains and carriages as well as signalling, electrification, communications and operation control.

Source: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/latestnews/200715/43481.htm

By the way, here is previous list of longest bridges/viaducts by Wikipedia. Needs an update:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bridges_by_length

Incredible pictures. Looks like pretty good coverage too - right down the spine of Taiwan.

Fabulous.... :drool:

I want to travel to Taiwan. :drool:

In the picture with the tunnels, why don't they just dig a trench? The tunnels are very short and it doesn't look like its going through an impassable mountain that can only be tunneled through. The only reason I can think of is to preserve land area and to allow wildlife passage...

In the picture with the tunnels, why don't they just dig a trench? The tunnels are very short and it doesn't look like its going through an impassable mountain that can only be tunneled through. The only reason I can think of is to preserve land area and to allow wildlife passage...

Yeah, I think one of the main focus and worries of THSR project was not to destroy the wildlife and be as environmentally friendly as possible.

the land hasn't been tunneled through any way, trenches have been dug as you suggested then covered over, hence why there is no trees above the tunnels

Taiwan is to be congratulated on the construction of such an excellent system. Once again, as a U.S. citizen I find myself envious of the infrastructure being built in another country.

WOW! 90 minutes instead of 5 hours?? That's amazing. I hate high-speed tunnels though. Maybe it's just me but my ears pop and hurt while inside tunnels at high speeds... :/

has anyone here ridden it yet?

looks great - how big is taiwan? is it the size of england or smaller?

Much, much smaller. Unlike England, Taiwan is sometimes not visible on smaller world maps.

Taiwan area: 35,801 square kilometers, it's bigger than Belgium (30,528 square kilometers), but smaller than the Netherlands (41,528 square kilometers) or Switzerland (41,284 square kilometers).

anyone know how much a ticket would cost from Taipei to Kaohsiung? im flying between, but i would rather take this one for the experience :)

^^ticket prices from THSR official website:
http://www.thsrc.com.tw./en/travel/before/ticket_info.asp

ah thanks for the size issue

amazing such a little place has done so much

dang... another country I've gotta add to my 'bullet trains of the world' tour... at least it's close to Japan.

Taiwan, the world's newest high speed rail country, and another that makes the US look even worse with our pathetic answer to high speed, the ACELA.

:cry:

ah thanks for the size issue

amazing such a little place has done so much

It's a natural investment to further enhance transportation within the territory. Aside from the teething problems and party politics behind many of Taiwan's projects, it's a great scenic way to travel from north to south without flying at all or sitting for hours on slower trains.

After decades of martial law under the Nationalist party, Taiwan's public infrastructure lagged severely behind other countries (namely, the other Asian tigers) that developed at around the same pace.

So it's about time to embrace a new generation of infrastructure to keep up with the world and the ever-increasing mobility of people. Just look across the Taiwan strait and see how much China is investing in its transportation infrastructure! It is also truly impressive and [as obviously necessary] on a much larger scale.

Notes from a nervous passenger

Saturday, January 27, 2007

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Taiwan hopes its new bullet train will prove to be something of an economic fast track, but the journey so far has been bumpy. Joshua Samuel Brown climbs aboard to tell the story
I t's 11am, three days after the official launch of Taiwan's High Speed Rail. I'm sitting uneasily in car four, watching the subtropical countryside whiz by at an unnerving speed. Adding to my general apprehension is the sound of an old woman in the seat behind me clipping her fingernails, the metallic "clack" of clippers juxtaposing strangely with the high-pitched whine of the bullet train gliding on new tracks.

Fifteen minutes out of Banciao and the train is already halfway between Taoyuan and Hsinchu stations. The digital sign over the front door of the car displays the words "current speed: 238 km/h" in Chinese and English, and we have yet to reach top speed.

Behind me the clacking continues, and I find myself praying for the old woman to run out of nails before we really pick up speed.

The HSR project has been big news in Taiwan for years, its construction dogged by charges of pork-barrel politics, corruption large- and small-scale and questions of competence since before even the first meter of rail was laid.

Early on there were fears that the vibrations might damage precision instruments used in semiconductor factories near to the railway, problems that were supposedly alleviated by changes in route and investment in vibration- dampening technology. As the project grew nearer to
completion, its opponents have publicly denounced it on grounds more tangible to the average citizen, namely safety. Possibly the most vocal opponent of the HSR is Taiwan's Consumers' Foundation.

Cheng Jen-hung, chairman of the foundation, gave Taiwanese journalists an early Chinese New Year present by issuing an imminently quotable, if not somewhat hyperbolic, warning to the people of Taiwan against taking the train.

"Cherish your life," Cheng solemnly advised during a news conference before opening week. "Don't be a guinea pig!"

It was not Cheng's warning that nearly prevented me from buying my ticket; that honor went to a malfunctioning ticketing machine, one of many reportedly plaguing the system. On the first day of operations, tens of thousands of Taiwanese queued up at automatic ticketing kiosks at every HSR station along the line, waiting to take advantage of the half-price tickets offered as part of a two-week confidence building period. Each kiosk was manned (defeating the purpose of automation, some might say) by a chirpy twentysomething, seemingly chosen for appearance, charm and language skills rather than experience with either trains or automated ticketing machines.

I bought my ticket in Taipei station at a kiosk manned by a charming young man named John.

John's conversation skills came in handy, enabling us to have a fine chat about the benefits of the HSR to Taiwan's economy, during what might otherwise have been a tense 15 minutes while I waited for the machine to relinquish my bank card. Finally the automated kiosk rejected the card without explanation, and John suggested I try cash. Moments later the machine (perhaps sensing my dislike for it) issued me the most unlucky of all possible seat reservations for a train leaving the next day - car four, seat 13.

With this inauspicious beginning in mind, I wisely decided to postpone the grittiest phase of my research into the potential hazards of high-speed rail travel; I did not head home and immediately Google the phrase "high-speed rail disaster," thus sparing myself from learning the extremely hideous details of the 1998 Eschede catastrophe (more about this later). Instead, I called up Linda Arrigo, a local activist and member of Taiwan's Green Party. I wanted an environmentalist's take on the HSR's impact on Taiwan. After all, anything that offers an alternative to driving has to be endorsed by Greenies, at least so I assumed.

But Arrigo told me that Taiwanese environmentalists were less enthusiastic about the train than I'd expected.

"Anytime you concrete over open space you get a negative environmental effect," she said. "Animal migration is hindered and groundwater systems are disrupted. Personally, I don't think environmental concerns were a priority in the building of the HSR."

Surprisingly, Arrigo said the most negative impact of the HSR would be not to the environment, but to the socio- economic structure of the towns the train passed through. "Essentially, what you have with the HSR is a series of airports in areas that until recently were zoned for agricultural use. These areas are already magnets for heavy business and residential development. Though much has been written about how the HSR is based on the Japanese model, in Japan the lines were built through urban centers. The Taiwan HSR bypasses them."

Back at home, a quick glance at Google Earth showed that Arrigo was correct, at least as far as geography and population density is concerned.

The HSR track - straight in most sections - stands in sharp contrast to the smooth noodle map of Taiwan's road system. Whereas the highways generally follow the curvature of the coast, jutting in and out of city centers, the HSR line carves a path from Banciao (on the outskirts of Taipei) to Zouying (on the outskirts of Kaoushiung) without actually passing through any major cities.

Sure enough, I discovered the next day that station names along the HSR are a bit misleading. Hsinchu's station turned out to be in Jhubei ("North Hsinchu"), 15 minutes by taxi from the city center. And Taichung's station was again as far from the actual city itself, in a small hamlet called Wurih. At every station along the line, the story was the same - big-city satellites in the early stages of massive development. While the HSR promises to bring prosperity and development throughout Taiwan's west coast, it's probable that all the trappings - traffic and urban sprawl, to name a few - will follow.

But surely a little urban sprawl, not to mention the US$15 billion (HK$117 billion) estimated price tag of the project so far, is fair trade for the speed of travel that the HSR brings to Taiwan? The answer dependends on how much one likes rice paddies versus how fast one wishes to travel.

Less subjective is the matter of speed itself. While it's fun to throw around numbers such as "287 km/h," the hair- raising speed the train reaches on the flat-out 28-minute burn between Hsinchu and Taichung, can the speed of the Taiwan HSR be put in easier to grasp terms?

Well, consider the work of Jackie Chan, Hong Kong's favorite son. Roughly speaking, the average Jackie Chan movie is 90 minutes long. This seemingly irrelevant piece of information is more illuminating than it might at first seem, for over the past decade a number of luxury bus lines operating in Taiwan have installed personal LCD monitors in each extra-wide seat. More often than not, these are used to screen Jackie Chan movies.

Generally speaking, a bus trip between Taipei and Hsinchu is just long enough to watch an average Jackie Chan movie (and the bus usually beats a normal Taipei-Hsinchu train by about five minutes).

In the same period of time, the fastest bullet train will do the Banciao- Kaoushiung run, leaving a traveler just enough time to watch Police Story on his laptop. The same traveler going by the speediest luxury coach would be forced to endure Police Story and both of its sequels before emerging bleary- eyed into the smoggy sunlight of Taiwan's southernmost city.

In other words, the bullet train is way faster.

There are clearly still some bugs in the system, my own experience with the bank-card hungry ticket machine being one of many. Some have been mere booking errors: the initial days of operation were filled with complaints of double booking of seats. One mishap was comical - on the first day of service, one passenger reported that an automated ticketing machine poured out a mountain of NT five-cent coins in lieu of a train ticket. But most disconcerting were the more ominous snafus that occurred during the first week: doors failing to open at stations and a short-circuiting air-conditioning system that caused one car to fill up with fumes, horrifying passengers.

This segues into the most important question of all: is Taiwan's bullet train safe? There's something about moving so fast while still attached to the ground that gives some people the willies. Paul, a photographer friend of mine living in Taichung, says he's dubious, and it's more than just gut feeling.

"I've seen the inspectors coming by and checking out the loose rock that's slid out from the track bed," he tells me as we drive around the railway looking for a good place to get a shot of passing trains. "That sort of thing scares the hell out of me. If it goes five years without having a major accident, then I'll consider taking it. Until then, I'm fine with the slow train."

High-speed rail systems in general have a far lower rate of derailment incidents than normal trains. The problem is that when an accident does occur the results are disastrous.

On June 3, 1998, a high speed train en-route from Munich to Hamburg derailed in Lower Saxony and the results were horrific. One derailed carriage slammed into the concrete piling supporting an overhead bridge, obliterating it and causing the bridge to collapse. Of the 287 passengers onboard the ill-fated train, 101 were killed and 88 were severely injured.

For comparison's sake, two-thirds of the 97 passengers on the iconic Hindenburg not only survived, but escaped with relatively minor injuries. Had the train not been at less than 50 percent passenger capacity, fatalities would have been far worse. Had the accident occurred just two minutes earlier, before the train bound for Munich had already passed, the results might well have been unthinkable.

Rather than mull over such grim statistics, consider instead that Japan's Shinkansen, the world's best-known bullet train and on which Taiwan's HSR is based, boasts a near-impeccable safety record. In operation since 1964, the Shinkansen has recorded only one derailment, caused by an earthquake in 2004 and resulting in no fatalities. There have been bullet train-related deaths in Japan, but except for one (some poor soul whose arm became caught in a door), all were the result of people jumping in front of, or off, speeding trains. You can't blame fatalities such as those on poor design.

And where design is concerned, Taiwan's HSR is a thing of beauty - certainly the trains are. At first glance, the interiors of the carriages look about the same as regular trains, save that the cars are cleaner and the seats recline a bit further. But then you notice the smell. It's a familiar odor but one that's hard to place. It's the one you might remember from childhood drives in the new family car.

From the outside the differences are obvious, with uniformly sleek orange- striped cars and Kawasaki-built engines with aerodynamically-curved noses. Though the front ends of the engines are not quite as angular as those of the newer Japanese bullet trains, they still scream that they are built for speed. As for comfort, the designers again deserve kudos. Even at top speed, the train rides about as smoothly as the Hong Kong Airport Express.

Only the blur of the passing landscape and the wind shriek give a true indication of what land speeds approaching 300 km/h look and sound like.

Speed and comfort aside, the key component is public confidence. Compared to that of the Japanese, the Taiwanese temperament leans toward easygoing when it comes to pricey public works projects and malfunctioning ticket machines. But they are far less likely to forget a headline-grabbing disaster such as that in Germany a decade ago. Whether Taiwan's HSR proves boon or boondoggle depends largely on whether it can replicate the Shinkansen's safety record.

Meanwhile, the board of directors of the Taiwan HSR Corp, aware of how a multitude of small-scale hiccups in the first two weeks might be interpreted by a dubious public, has announced that the half-price ticket period will be extended until the end of the month. It would appear the spin doctors still have more work to do.

Over two million callers jammed the automated hotline of the Taiwan Railway
29 January 2007
The China Post

Over two million callers jammed the automated hotline of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) over a two hour period yesterday trying to buy train tickets for the Chinese New Year holiday, according to the TRA.

The TRA began selling train tickets yesterday for travel along the western route February 17 onwards and immediately received a heavy flow of callers flooding its automated ticket sales system.

Complaints were voiced as people experienced difficulty buying tickets whether through the phone or online, citing slower-than-usual processing times.

Local media reported that some customers had to wait thirty to forty minutes for the system to register their purchase.

The heavy sales volume forced customers to wait when picking up their tickets at the train station.

Normally people who purchase tickets through the phone or online can pick up their tickets a half hour later at the train station.

But customers yesterday were advised to arrive at the train station two to three hours after their purchase.

TRA officials said that the slow processing speeds were due to the heavy volume being experienced by the system server, which is maintained by Chunghwa Telecom.

A request to accelerate the system speed has been forwarded to Chunghwa Telecom, said TRA officials.

TRA officials said that some 280,000 tickets had been sold by 9 a.m. yesterday.

Over two million callers jammed the automated hotline of the Taiwan Railway
29 January 2007
The China Post

Over two million callers jammed the automated hotline of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) over a two hour period yesterday trying to buy train tickets for the Chinese New Year holiday, according to the TRA.

The TRA began selling train tickets yesterday for travel along the western route February 17 onwards and immediately received a heavy flow of callers flooding its automated ticket sales system.

Complaints were voiced as people experienced difficulty buying tickets whether through the phone or online, citing slower-than-usual processing times.

Local media reported that some customers had to wait thirty to forty minutes for the system to register their purchase.

The heavy sales volume forced customers to wait when picking up their tickets at the train station.

Normally people who purchase tickets through the phone or online can pick up their tickets a half hour later at the train station.

But customers yesterday were advised to arrive at the train station two to three hours after their purchase.

TRA officials said that the slow processing speeds were due to the heavy volume being experienced by the system server, which is maintained by Chunghwa Telecom.

A request to accelerate the system speed has been forwarded to Chunghwa Telecom, said TRA officials.

TRA officials said that some 280,000 tickets had been sold by 9 a.m. yesterday.

Should post in the Taiwan thread instead.:) This thread's about THSRC.

Notes from a nervous passenger

Saturday, January 27, 2007

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/newsimage/20070127/rail2.jpg

Taiwan hopes its new bullet train will prove to be something of an economic fast track, but the journey so far has been bumpy. Joshua Samuel Brown climbs aboard to tell the story
I t's 11am, three days after the official launch of Taiwan's High Speed Rail. I'm sitting uneasily in car four, watching the subtropical countryside whiz by at an unnerving speed. Adding to my general apprehension is the sound of an old woman in the seat behind me clipping her fingernails, the metallic "clack" of clippers juxtaposing strangely with the high-pitched whine of the bullet train gliding on new tracks.

Fifteen minutes out of Banciao and the train is already halfway between Taoyuan and Hsinchu stations. The digital sign over the front door of the car displays the words "current speed: 238 km/h" in Chinese and English, and we have yet to reach top speed.

Behind me the clacking continues, and I find myself praying for the old woman to run out of nails before we really pick up speed.

The HSR project has been big news in Taiwan for years, its construction dogged by charges of pork-barrel politics, corruption large- and small-scale and questions of competence since before even the first meter of rail was laid.

Early on there were fears that the vibrations might damage precision instruments used in semiconductor factories near to the railway, problems that were supposedly alleviated by changes in route and investment in vibration- dampening technology. As the project grew nearer to
completion, its opponents have publicly denounced it on grounds more tangible to the average citizen, namely safety. Possibly the most vocal opponent of the HSR is Taiwan's Consumers' Foundation.

Cheng Jen-hung, chairman of the foundation, gave Taiwanese journalists an early Chinese New Year present by issuing an imminently quotable, if not somewhat hyperbolic, warning to the people of Taiwan against taking the train.

"Cherish your life," Cheng solemnly advised during a news conference before opening week. "Don't be a guinea pig!"

It was not Cheng's warning that nearly prevented me from buying my ticket; that honor went to a malfunctioning ticketing machine, one of many reportedly plaguing the system. On the first day of operations, tens of thousands of Taiwanese queued up at automatic ticketing kiosks at every HSR station along the line, waiting to take advantage of the half-price tickets offered as part of a two-week confidence building period. Each kiosk was manned (defeating the purpose of automation, some might say) by a chirpy twentysomething, seemingly chosen for appearance, charm and language skills rather than experience with either trains or automated ticketing machines.

I bought my ticket in Taipei station at a kiosk manned by a charming young man named John.

John's conversation skills came in handy, enabling us to have a fine chat about the benefits of the HSR to Taiwan's economy, during what might otherwise have been a tense 15 minutes while I waited for the machine to relinquish my bank card. Finally the automated kiosk rejected the card without explanation, and John suggested I try cash. Moments later the machine (perhaps sensing my dislike for it) issued me the most unlucky of all possible seat reservations for a train leaving the next day - car four, seat 13.

With this inauspicious beginning in mind, I wisely decided to postpone the grittiest phase of my research into the potential hazards of high-speed rail travel; I did not head home and immediately Google the phrase "high-speed rail disaster," thus sparing myself from learning the extremely hideous details of the 1998 Eschede catastrophe (more about this later). Instead, I called up Linda Arrigo, a local activist and member of Taiwan's Green Party. I wanted an environmentalist's take on the HSR's impact on Taiwan. After all, anything that offers an alternative to driving has to be endorsed by Greenies, at least so I assumed.

But Arrigo told me that Taiwanese environmentalists were less enthusiastic about the train than I'd expected.

"Anytime you concrete over open space you get a negative environmental effect," she said. "Animal migration is hindered and groundwater systems are disrupted. Personally, I don't think environmental concerns were a priority in the building of the HSR."

Surprisingly, Arrigo said the most negative impact of the HSR would be not to the environment, but to the socio- economic structure of the towns the train passed through. "Essentially, what you have with the HSR is a series of airports in areas that until recently were zoned for agricultural use. These areas are already magnets for heavy business and residential development. Though much has been written about how the HSR is based on the Japanese model, in Japan the lines were built through urban centers. The Taiwan HSR bypasses them."

Back at home, a quick glance at Google Earth showed that Arrigo was correct, at least as far as geography and population density is concerned.

The HSR track - straight in most sections - stands in sharp contrast to the smooth noodle map of Taiwan's road system. Whereas the highways generally follow the curvature of the coast, jutting in and out of city centers, the HSR line carves a path from Banciao (on the outskirts of Taipei) to Zouying (on the outskirts of Kaoushiung) without actually passing through any major cities.

Sure enough, I discovered the next day that station names along the HSR are a bit misleading. Hsinchu's station turned out to be in Jhubei ("North Hsinchu"), 15 minutes by taxi from the city center. And Taichung's station was again as far from the actual city itself, in a small hamlet called Wurih. At every station along the line, the story was the same - big-city satellites in the early stages of massive development. While the HSR promises to bring prosperity and development throughout Taiwan's west coast, it's probable that all the trappings - traffic and urban sprawl, to name a few - will follow.

But surely a little urban sprawl, not to mention the US$15 billion (HK$117 billion) estimated price tag of the project so far, is fair trade for the speed of travel that the HSR brings to Taiwan? The answer dependends on how much one likes rice paddies versus how fast one wishes to travel.

Less subjective is the matter of speed itself. While it's fun to throw around numbers such as "287 km/h," the hair- raising speed the train reaches on the flat-out 28-minute burn between Hsinchu and Taichung, can the speed of the Taiwan HSR be put in easier to grasp terms?

Well, consider the work of Jackie Chan, Hong Kong's favorite son. Roughly speaking, the average Jackie Chan movie is 90 minutes long. This seemingly irrelevant piece of information is more illuminating than it might at first seem, for over the past decade a number of luxury bus lines operating in Taiwan have installed personal LCD monitors in each extra-wide seat. More often than not, these are used to screen Jackie Chan movies.

Generally speaking, a bus trip between Taipei and Hsinchu is just long enough to watch an average Jackie Chan movie (and the bus usually beats a normal Taipei-Hsinchu train by about five minutes).

In the same period of time, the fastest bullet train will do the Banciao- Kaoushiung run, leaving a traveler just enough time to watch Police Story on his laptop. The same traveler going by the speediest luxury coach would be forced to endure Police Story and both of its sequels before emerging bleary- eyed into the smoggy sunlight of Taiwan's southernmost city.

In other words, the bullet train is way faster.

There are clearly still some bugs in the system, my own experience with the bank-card hungry ticket machine being one of many. Some have been mere booking errors: the initial days of operation were filled with complaints of double booking of seats. One mishap was comical - on the first day of service, one passenger reported that an automated ticketing machine poured out a mountain of NT five-cent coins in lieu of a train ticket. But most disconcerting were the more ominous snafus that occurred during the first week: doors failing to open at stations and a short-circuiting air-conditioning system that caused one car to fill up with fumes, horrifying passengers.

This segues into the most important question of all: is Taiwan's bullet train safe? There's something about moving so fast while still attached to the ground that gives some people the willies. Paul, a photographer friend of mine living in Taichung, says he's dubious, and it's more than just gut feeling.

"I've seen the inspectors coming by and checking out the loose rock that's slid out from the track bed," he tells me as we drive around the railway looking for a good place to get a shot of passing trains. "That sort of thing scares the hell out of me. If it goes five years without having a major accident, then I'll consider taking it. Until then, I'm fine with the slow train."

High-speed rail systems in general have a far lower rate of derailment incidents than normal trains. The problem is that when an accident does occur the results are disastrous.

On June 3, 1998, a high speed train en-route from Munich to Hamburg derailed in Lower Saxony and the results were horrific. One derailed carriage slammed into the concrete piling supporting an overhead bridge, obliterating it and causing the bridge to collapse. Of the 287 passengers onboard the ill-fated train, 101 were killed and 88 were severely injured.

For comparison's sake, two-thirds of the 97 passengers on the iconic Hindenburg not only survived, but escaped with relatively minor injuries. Had the train not been at less than 50 percent passenger capacity, fatalities would have been far worse. Had the accident occurred just two minutes earlier, before the train bound for Munich had already passed, the results might well have been unthinkable.

Rather than mull over such grim statistics, consider instead that Japan's Shinkansen, the world's best-known bullet train and on which Taiwan's HSR is based, boasts a near-impeccable safety record. In operation since 1964, the Shinkansen has recorded only one derailment, caused by an earthquake in 2004 and resulting in no fatalities. There have been bullet train-related deaths in Japan, but except for one (some poor soul whose arm became caught in a door), all were the result of people jumping in front of, or off, speeding trains. You can't blame fatalities such as those on poor design.

And where design is concerned, Taiwan's HSR is a thing of beauty - certainly the trains are. At first glance, the interiors of the carriages look about the same as regular trains, save that the cars are cleaner and the seats recline a bit further. But then you notice the smell. It's a familiar odor but one that's hard to place. It's the one you might remember from childhood drives in the new family car.

From the outside the differences are obvious, with uniformly sleek orange- striped cars and Kawasaki-built engines with aerodynamically-curved noses. Though the front ends of the engines are not quite as angular as those of the newer Japanese bullet trains, they still scream that they are built for speed. As for comfort, the designers again deserve kudos. Even at top speed, the train rides about as smoothly as the Hong Kong Airport Express.

Only the blur of the passing landscape and the wind shriek give a true indication of what land speeds approaching 300 km/h look and sound like.

Speed and comfort aside, the key component is public confidence. Compared to that of the Japanese, the Taiwanese temperament leans toward easygoing when it comes to pricey public works projects and malfunctioning ticket machines. But they are far less likely to forget a headline-grabbing disaster such as that in Germany a decade ago. Whether Taiwan's HSR proves boon or boondoggle depends largely on whether it can replicate the Shinkansen's safety record.

Meanwhile, the board of directors of the Taiwan HSR Corp, aware of how a multitude of small-scale hiccups in the first two weeks might be interpreted by a dubious public, has announced that the half-price ticket period will be extended until the end of the month. It would appear the spin doctors still have more work to do.

Looks like Mr. Joshua Samuel Brown needs to grow some balls! People like this guy are ready to piss all over any great achievment by any country anywhere in the world. Regardless of how many people benefit from such projects, there will always be sceptics. Hopeless cynics who have nothing better to do than to criticize every infrastructure project.

It's fine to be sceptical. However, boycotting it or persuading other people not to use it is unacceptable unless there is a record of safety problems.

THSR hasn't proven itself yet; that takes time. But for the time being, it seems fairly safe to use.

AFAIK there has never been a fatality on a high speed train whilst running on dedicated high speed lines anywhere in the world.

The accident involving the ICE train in Germany in 1998 occurred on a conventional (non-high speed) line, so it could have involved a regular train instead of an ICE.

In France the only deaths involving the TGV have occurred on conventional lines too, often at level crossings where a motor vehicle has blocked the line. A couple of TGVs have derailed at high speed (on LGVs) causing injuries but no deaths, as the trains remained upright as they were meant to, due to their advanced design.

High speed trains and lines are designed and built with safety in mind right from the outset, making them one of the safest forms of transport around, along with planes. As with flying however, I guess that some people will always be afraid to travel on HSTs, no matter what the statistics say.

AFAIK there has never been a fatality on a high speed train whilst running on dedicated high speed lines anywhere in the world.

The accident involving the ICE train in Germany in 1998 occurred on a conventional (non-high speed) line, so it could have involved a regular train instead of an ICE.



And it was caused by metal fatigue on the metal tyre of one of the wheels. This occurs on other trains too - UK networkers were put in a program of phased inspection and replacement after that incident as they use similar wheel designs.
Before anyone asks it is totally safe as long as the inspection proceedure is followed, namely using ultrasound to test for cracks. Unfortunately in the German incident the maintenance regime lapsed to somthing like kicking the rim and saying (in German of course) "Looks allroit guv'nor", so no wonder it went wrong.

THSRC gets MOTC approval for Taipei to Banciao section

By Shelley Shan and Jessie Ho
STAFF REPORTERS
Thursday, Feb 01, 2007, Page 2

Advertising Minister of Transportation and Communications Tsai Duei (蔡堆) approved the operation of the high speed rail on the section between Taipei and Banciao (板橋) yesterday.
Bureau of High Speed Rail Director-General Pang Chia-hua (龐家驊) said the approval merely meets one of the preconditions for the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) to secure an operating permit, adding that the company has yet to comply with all the requirements of the Railway Law (鐵路法) and its build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract.

For example, the THSRC has not yet submitted the NT$5 billion (US$156 million) deposit required, Pang said.

Should the company meet all the outstanding requirements, the operational permit could be issued as soon as today, he said.

Pang added that the THSRC will face a stern challenge today, when advance tickets for the Lunar New Year holidays go on sale.

Ticket sales will begin at 6am today and the bureau expects some would-be travelers to queue-up at the high speed rail stations.

Although the THSRC will soon be permitted to operate between Banciao and Taipei, several media reports have speculated that the high speed rail may not do so in time for the Lunar New Year holidays since the company has encountered difficulties with its ticketing system and train schedules. Those in Taipei choosing to take the high speed rail during this time will probably still be required to board from the high speed rail station in Banciao.

Pang said the company and the bureau had reached a consensus that the high speed rail would operate between Banciao and Tsoying (左營) during the Lunar New Year holidays.

He urged the company to come up with a comprehensive plan that took all possible scenarios into account.

"The bottom line is that the company has to finalize its plan and announce it to the public as soon as possible," he said, "[The THSRC] must stop making plans only to change them the next day."

Pang also suggested possible solutions to the problem. For example, he said, if the THSRC was only able to sell tickets from Banciao to Tsoying (左營), the company could alter the setting on the ticket-checking gates at Taipei Main Station to allow those purchasing tickets from Banciao to pass.

THSRC spokesman Arthur Chiang (江金山) confirmed in a phone interview yesterday that the THSRC had decided not to operate on the Taipei to Banciao section during the Lunar New Year holidays. He said that passengers would need to wait at least until next month before they could take the bullet train from Taipei.

It will take some time for the THSRC to reorganize its train schedule before applying for a license, he added.

The THSRC's decision not to operate between Taipei and Banciao during the Lunar New Year holidays was also prompted by technical concerns, he said.

The ticketing system and gates in THSRC stations have been found to malfunction frequently, especially during peak hours, Chiang said.

I took the Taiwan High Speed Train during Chinese New Year. Had no time to prepare the photos only until recently, here are photos from my journey:

1. Banqiao station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3466/001sp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

2. ticket vending machines, working well now ;)
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3334/002hb1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

3.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2802/004cl8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

4.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8573/005eg8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

5. behind the glass is TRA station (normal rail)
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2899/006vo8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

6. on the platform
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2751/008gp1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

7.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3284/010mx7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

8. the light in the floor informs that the train is approaching
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/636/011hp3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

9. approaching train, everybody taking pictures :D
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8704/012fy9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

10. the doors are pretty small, I guess I am used to Taipei MRT :)
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4307/013hw8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

11. inside
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6844/015na3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

12.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4654/016yb3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

13.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9492/017mw9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

14. departure
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8392/014qm3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

15. somewhere in Taoyuan
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2254/019fv4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

16. Taoyuan station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9153/020ay5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

17. somewhere between Taoyuan and Hsinchu
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6965/021qc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

18. approaching Hsinchu station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1323/022vn1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

19. emptiness around Hsinchu station, it's the same with most stations :bash:
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2092/023yr5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

20. Hsinchu station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5762/024hp9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

21. rural Taiwan
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9752/028mn2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

22. maximum speed of 300km/h, most of the time was only around 200-220km/h a bit dissapointing, just hope lower speed is because of initial period of operation and in the future it will be faster
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/443/029mr9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

23. outside on full speed
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5781/030qy4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

24. approaching Taichung
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1684/032dy6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

25.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/483/033lw2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

26. the same as in Hsinchu, the city is far away :bash:
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1949/034uy5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

27. Taichung station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4900/036sw7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

28. rural landcape of Central and Southern Taiwan is awesome, we're leaving mountains behind, from this mountain range all the way down to Zuoying station in Kaohsiung we'll ride on the world's longest viaduct
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5138/038io1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

29.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4232/042bt2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

30.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5540/043wy1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

31.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8200/044ir8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

32.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2274/046zd2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

33.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7497/047sm9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

34.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7880/051sc0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

35.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/687/057le7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

36.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6161/058oa1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

37.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4688/062zv2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

38.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/381/063va1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

39. cemetary
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/145/065up1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

40.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7008/066ee9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

41. approaching Kaohsiung
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1182/067ml1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

42.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4817/068am1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

43.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1149/069oc7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

44.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8936/070xd1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

45.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3297/072bk6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

46. end of viaduct, we're in Kaohsiung (Zuoying station)
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8719/073tk1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

47. Zuoying station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7392/074yj2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

photos from Zuoying station:

48. Zuoying station from the mountain
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6461/075lu1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

49.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9084/076xa1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

50.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1076/077ig5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

51.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6606/078ev8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

52.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4601/079as1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

53. Kaohsiung is an industrial city :)
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9169/080ie5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

54. New Zuoying Station belongs to TRA
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2092/081rw0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

55.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2521/082fz8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

56.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7706/083jk5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

57.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7152/084jl9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

58.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6767/085yz1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

59. TRA station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6061/086sq9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

60. connection to Taiwan High Speed Rail Station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9297/087nl3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

61. Zuoying station, station hall
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1075/088ey5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

62.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/108/089wx1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

63.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6771/090ba5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

64.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7736/091nw1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

65.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4599/092af8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

66. ticket vending machines
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3080/093tv8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

67.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/889/094ij5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

68.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5060/095ak4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

69.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7578/096sq8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

70.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1268/097up9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

71.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/638/098cb6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

72.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7392/099ww1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

73. below will be Kaohsiung MRT station, above another department store
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2601/100dn4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

74.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4462/101lk5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

75.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/539/102db5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

76.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5494/103pv5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

77.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3771/104lr9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

78.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7092/105eb0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

79.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4332/106pg4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

80.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7179/107ff5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

81.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6660/108nw0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

82.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9723/109cr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

83. car park next to station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6441/110ss3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

84. at least from one side it looks like a city
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9081/111ra4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

85. car park has direct link to the freeway
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2320/112ia6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

86.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4053/113ra2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

87.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/189/114gr3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

88.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6223/115xo3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

89. the street in front of the station from the station
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2500/116yc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

90.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7752/117el2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

91.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/50/118zr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

92. from car park
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4686/119hf7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

93.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1396/120ws1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

94.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/46/121uq5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

95. back in the station hall
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1364/122wj1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

96.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3221/123cb2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

97.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4417/124ok7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

98.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8010/125nr9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

99.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2304/126ij5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

100.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2202/127bt7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

101.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3953/128co5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

102.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6317/129ey1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

103.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9652/130nz2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

104.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2977/131ft2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

105.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8929/133fi8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

106.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2047/134ft3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

107. on the platform
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4288/135hj0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

108.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9149/136xv1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

109.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1060/137ee1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

110.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1360/138fn9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

111.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5856/139dz0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

112.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1585/140gz2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

113.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3621/142ew7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

114.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2268/141ad0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

115.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5693/143wp3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

116.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9587/144qn3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

117.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8501/145iw9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

118.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2636/146dq1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

119. blood, killer train :D
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3537/147qr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

120.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2295/148an8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

some shots from return jurney, the weather was much better

121. industry in Kaohsiung
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/434/150pm2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

122.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2058/151aa2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

123.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6914/152br1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

124.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9517/153hz9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

125.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3063/154ff3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

126.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5647/155ba5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

127.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6731/156vl8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

128.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5113/157tj8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

129.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5949/158ny9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

130.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/373/159sn6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

131. approaching Taichung
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8461/161vu9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

132.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/956/162yk4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

133.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8/163qc7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

134.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8906/164lk7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

135.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1701/165ll7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

136.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7063/166jb7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

137.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1741/167xx9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

138.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3949/169rg2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

139.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/824/170bp9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

140.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3655/171wx3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

141.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/465/172gb6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

142.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8736/173xq7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

143.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6710/174he4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

144.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5306/175cn0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

145.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2812/176is3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

the end

Nice Pictures. I thought the Kaoshiung Station would look nice on the inside but not really so. The exterior surroundings like the landscaping, the exterior building and the platforms are nice but the interior main hall is kinda disappointing. They should of used marble on its floors, yes I know more expensive but it'll make the station look more modern. I am not really impressed by the tiles they've chosen to use, makes the entire station look dated and the tiles looks like those you will find at public toilets.

Those outdoor-ish types of tiles are used extensively in Taipei MRT and Kaohsiung MRT. While I have nothing against them (they get stepped on anyway), I have heard numerous complaints about them being out of place.

Nice Pictures. I thought the Kaoshiung Station would look nice on the inside but not really so. The exterior surroundings like the landscaping, the exterior building and the platforms are nice but the interior main hall is kinda disappointing. They should of used marble on its floors, yes I know more expensive but it'll make the station look more modern. I am not really impressed by the tiles they've chosen to use, makes the entire station look dated and the tiles looks like those you will find at public toilets.

i TOTALLY agree about the tiles. they definitely should have used marble or some other kind of surface treatment besides tiles. i'm so sick of seeing tiles covering EVERYTHING in Taiwan - buildings, houses, sidewalks, platforms, walls, etc. etc. etc. alot of buildings even have the same exact tiles covering the sidewalks, exterior walls, interior walls and floors. i mean, how friggin lazy is that to use the same tiles to cover everything?? everything there are tiles, tiles, tiles, tiles. and cement.

Tile's less slippery for wet days? There must be some reason.

Those are impressive pictures Taipei Walker.

Wow I can't believe it's been almost 4 years since the last post here; for those reading, don't worry, Taiwan High Speed Rail still exists! Although it's future maybe be in jeopardy...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h_ivDNesfo6feGrhXndK4X2yGw-g?docId=CNG.aead89b9b363e3445792d08a945af810.21

Taiwan high speed rail 'sinking'

(AFP) – 6 days ago

TAIPEI — A top Taiwanese official said Tuesday the earth was sinking under the island's high-speed rail, warning it could become inoperable in 10 years's time if nothing is done.

Along a stretch of rail in central Taiwan, the soil has subsided due to excessive draining of ground waters, and the limit of what is considered safe is approaching, said Lee Hong-yuan, head of the Public Construction Commission.

"The high-speed rail will face a huge crisis if we can't solve the problems within the next 10 years," Lee told reporters.

If the subsidence continues, the train will have to decelerate along some stretches, leaving it questionable if it still qualified as "high-speed", an official with the commission told AFP.

The cabinet is planning to host a meeting later this week to try to find a solution to the safety issues, he added.

The 345-kilometre (207-mile) system using Japanese bullet-train technology is billed as one of Taiwan's largest privately funded transport projects with an estimated cost of $15 billion.

However, the high-speed rail company had incurred about $2 billion in losses, or roughly two thirds of its capitalisation, three years after the system went into operation in 2007.

Last year, the company secured new funding of $12 billion -- the biggest syndicated loan in Taiwan history -- as part of efforts to pay off earlier loans.

A build-operate-transfer formula adopted for the railway charged the corporation with constructing and running the line for 35 years before handing it to the government.

Thu, Jun 30, 2011
Rail passes assessment to add more trips
Taipei Times
By Lee I-chia / Staff Reporter

http://www.globalphotos.org/taipei/20100718/IMG_1118.jpg

A proposal by Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp, the operator of the nation’s high-speed rail, to increase the maximum number of train trips that can be made on special high-load days to 210 a day passed an environmental impact -assessment yesterday.

The Environmental Protection Administration gathered environmental impact assessment specialists to discuss the impact of increasing the number of runs on high-load days, such as during Lunar New Year or on election day.

A previous assessment had set a limit of 175 runs a day.

In addition to evaluating noise pollution and carbon emissions, the specialists assessed land subsidence along the high-speed rail line, especially in Yunlin and Changhua counties.

Taiwan High Speed Rail said subsidence resulted from structural aspects that had already been evaluated before construction, adding that no irregular or unexpected subsidence had been observed over the past four years.

The company agreed to continue monitoring subsidence if the number of trains are increased.

The specialists told the panel they all agreed that adding to the number of trains would have a positive impact by reducing carbon emissions and that the immediate threat of land subsidence remained unproven and required further monitoring.

However, the specialists asked the company to provide clear and specific measures on how it intends to monitor the environmental impact if the numbers of train trips is increased to more than 175 per day.

The specialists asked the operator to provide a clear definition of “high-load days” to better regulate when adding train trips might be permitted.

Tue, Sep 06, 2011
THSRC app to let patrons use smartphone as ticket
Taipei Times Excerpt (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/09/06/2003512598)

Passengers on the high-speed rail will soon be able to use their smartphones as a ticket, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said yesterday.

The company said it was scheduled to test run the system next month, adding that the smartphone ticket service could become available to the public in November.

Based on its plan, passengers would first have to download the ticketing application with their smartphones and use the app to book tickets.

They would receive a quick response code (QR code) when the transaction is complete. They will then be able to quickly pass through the ticket gates by placing their smartphones near the sensors on the ticket gates, which would scan the QR code.

Meanwhile, the board of THSRC recently approved a resolution authorizing the company to negotiate the purchase of new trains from Japan.

THSRC said the plan was raised to help cope with the increase in passenger numbers, which could reach 145,000 a day between 2013 and 2014.

The company made a profit of about NT$2 billion (US$68.8 million) in the first half of this year after suffering financial losses since the service began in 2006.

***

The company was given the exclusive right to run the high-speed rail system for 35 years, including the construction time.

Ou said that 35 years is too short. He cited examples of build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects such as the Regent Taipei Hotel and the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France, which were given concession periods of 50 years and 99 years respectively.

***

Current government regulations require BOT contractors to pay off their loans within the concession period.

THSR is loosing money ? really ?

THSR is loosing money ? really ?

Yeah, apparently the interest payments, taxes, and depreciation eat up any operating profit the system generates.

I am not surprised. I think the government must just put some money into it to make it feasible to operate. The BOT method is good but interest is too high on the THSR

Really saddening I love tshr IMHO it's the most beautiful of all high speed trains :(

Hey guys,

I've been lurking on this site for quite some time now; although I know that technically a post here is a necro, I feel that the information that I learned today is worthwhile. Here is a video:

oGNtrfmLONU

THSR Hsinchu Station's rail link to downtown Hsinchu opened less than 24 hours ago. The Liujia Line was built because Hsinchu Station, like many other THSR stations, was built actually very far away from the city core. The station is nearly 12 kilometers away and is actually built in a suburb northeast across the river, in Jhubei (竹北).

The light rail link is expected to increase connectivity between the THSR station and the surrounding suburbs, as well as the world famous Hsinchu Science Park, which produces most of the world's computer chips. I'm personally very excited because there is light rail station less than a few blocks away from my house - within 10 minutes' walking distance.


I love high speed rail. When I was younger and had more time, I would often bike into the mountains behind the Science Park and watch trains for hours. Here are some personal photos I took by the trackside:

http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu314/Silver_Swordsman/DSCN1934.jpg
http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu314/Silver_Swordsman/DSCN2138.jpg
http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu314/Silver_Swordsman/DSCN2139.jpg
http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu314/Silver_Swordsman/DSCN1787.jpg
http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu314/Silver_Swordsman/DSCN1989.jpghttp://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu314/Silver_Swordsman/DSCN2046.jpg

Oh, and here is a really rare shot I got of the driver's cabin back in '07.
http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu314/Silver_Swordsman/DSCN0652.jpg

EDIT: Thanks for pointing out the technical misnaming, Blackraven.

Fri, Nov 18, 2011
Plans for new high-speed rail stations on schedule
Taipei Times

Plans to construct high-speed rail stations in Miaoli, Changhwa and Yunlin are proceeding according to schedule, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said yesterday, adding that the plans were finalized in a contract signed by the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) and the ministry.

The project came under media scrutiny when Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) asked the ministry to communicate with THSRC shareholders, saying that some of them had opposed the construction of these stations.

Wu said the THSRC faced severe financial pressure two years ago and was able to continue operations only because the government helped it secure bank loans. The government will not allow these shareholders to oppose the project, Wu said, adding that they would make enemies of passengers in Miaoli, Changhwa and Yunlin if they continued to resist the plan.

Former THSRC vice president of public affairs Arthur Chiang (江金山), a THSRC board member, published a half-page advertisement in local newspapers yesterday asking Wu to “calm down,” saying there was no such thing as shareholder “opposition to the project.”

However, he asked why such a major project could not be discussed or put to a vote in a shareholders’ meeting.

“If the government demanded that THSRC accept the ‘script’ it has produced to garner more votes without any negotiations, if the three stations turned out to be investments from which the company cannot generate any return when the contract expires, can’t the shareholders ask questions? Can’t the government and THSRC work together to stipulate a construction plan that benefits society, the government and THSRC shareholders?” Chiang asked.

In response, Bureau of High Speed Rail Director-General Chu Shu (朱旭) yesterday said the project was listed as an item that must be executed by THSRC in its contract with the government.

The fund needed to build these three stations was already included the credit loans to THSRC when the government helped the company restructured its debs in 2009, which topped NT$7.55 billion, he said.

Chu said the company has submitted an execution guideline in July last year, which stated the construction would begin July next year and complete in 2015.

@Silver Swordsman

Hsinchu Light Rail? No such thing exists (even on wikipedia).......unless you're referring to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liujia_Line

Updated Thursday, November 24, 2011 0:27 am
Wandering goat results in delay to high-speed train
CNA

TAIPEI--A southbound bullet train heading from Taipei to Kaohsiung was delayed by 15 minutes Tuesday after hitting a goat that had inexplicably found its way onto the high-speed rail's tracks, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) said.

No damage or casualties were reported in the accident except for a minor injury suffered by the animal, said company spokesman Chang Yung-hsiung.

The accident took place at 4:03 p.m. near the line's 103-kilometer mark in Miaoli County's Zaociao township. The driver stopped the train immediately to check out the situation, and he made sure the train was not damaged before continuing the journey, he said.

Chang said THSRC will look into how the animal found its way onto the railway's tracks, which are protected from intrusions by fences.

The animal, which suffered a minor injury to its left leg, has been returned to its owner, he added.

I have to wonder what is it with Taiwan HSR and animals.

A few months ago there was a monkey at Zuoying who got shocked. A train hits a goat.

And I caught this on camera around 10-12 km south of Hsinchu:

ed6GJpEyV7Q

The dog wasn't hurt, but like the officials, I'm still wondering how it got in to begin with.

Everywhere covered with dog poo, now.... :)

OK convenience stores to offer high-speed rail tickets
Taipei Times
Tue, Nov 29, 2011

Starting today, passengers on the high-speed rail can purchase tickets at OK Mart convenience stores, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced yesterday.

The same service is already being offered at FamilyMart, 7-Eleven and Hi-life. With the fourth convenience store chain coming on board, the high-speed rail will expand its number of access points for ticket sales from 8,500 to 9,300 venues nationwide.

THSRC said passengers could book their tickets through the “OK Go” Multimedia Kiosk at OK Mart stores, pay for them at the counter and receive the tickets on the same day. The service is available 24 hours.

Unlike competitors that charge a service fee of NT$10 per ticket, OK Mart will charge NT$8. From today until Dec. 12, customers will pay no transaction fee. Meanwhile, passengers can receive one free bottle of tea for each transaction from today until Dec. 26.

THSRC statistics show that about 8.46 million tickets have been sold through convenience stores since the service started 18 months ago, with an average of 13,000 tickets sold per day.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan Railway Administration said that passengers would be able to pick up tickets at convenience stores after booking them online by the end of this year.

The nation’s largest railway system has been planning to offer the service for more than three years, but problems related to service charges kept it from finalizing the deal with the stores.

Published on Taipei Times :
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/11/29/2003519500

really i like speed on the way because i love it so high speed rail way i like it

:banana::bash::banana:

1GCAKe0tcME
yUlQqZy5zX4
wbRVf4bSLFE

Fri, Jan 13, 2012
High-speed rail can stop monitoring for birds: authorities
Published on Taipei Times : http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/01/13/2003523136

Members of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Committee yesterday agreed to allow Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) to stop monitoring for pheasant-tailed jacana along the route of the high-speed rail, saying that the ensuing preservation project should be conducted by the Council of Agriculture and Greater Tainan Government.

“THSRC must continue its care and support for the preservation of pheasant-tailed jacanas as part of its corporate responsibility,” the committee ruled.

The monitoring project was one of the promises that the rail operator made to secure approval for rail construction from the EIA.

The EIA committee members yesterday focused on the monitoring efforts in Hulupi (葫蘆埤) and Deyuanpi (德元埤) in Greater Tainan last year, the final two monitoring spots along the high-speed rail route. The project was executed by the Taiwan Development Institute, which was entrusted by THSRC to carry out the task. Researchers found that while Hulupi had seen a slight decrease in the number of pheasant-tailed jacanas compared with 2010, the number in Deyuanpi had increased.

Though the number of jacanas spotted in the Tainan area dwindled from 1,038 in 2006 to 478 last year, the study showed that more jacanas appeared after the high-speed rail began operations than when it was under construction.

Commenting on the decline in Hulupi, the researchers said a large number of jacanas were found dead in December 2010 after consuming rice poisoned by chemicals. However, the number rebounded in May last year thanks to eco-parks along the railway established by THSRC as well as incentives used to encourage farmers to grow water caltrops, one of the foods that jacanas consume.

The researchers added that they found more jacanas returned to habitats along the high-speed rail route, proving that noise created by the high-speed rail had little effect.