The first group of locally trained Taiwanese high speed train drivers will soon join the high speed rail service, the Bureau of the High Speed Rail said on Friday.
A statement issued by the bureau said that all the local drivers had passed a written test held three weeks ago and completed driving tests on May 6 and last Wednesday, where their ability to operate the train under normal and emergency situations was evaluated.
In the statement, the bureau said it was now assessing the drivers' performances in the driving tests.
The results will be handed over to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) for final approval.
Meanwhile, another foreign driver could also receive certification by the end of this month, the operator said.
This would bring the total of foreign drivers recruited by the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) to 52.
Bureau director general Hu Hsiang-ling (
A majority of foreign drivers recruited by the company are French, Hu said.
Hu also said earlier last week that the newly certified drivers would help cope with the potential passenger increase when the THSRC increases its one-way train runs from 25 to 31.
This planned increase has also forced the company to readjust its schedules, which have been approved by the MOTC.
Under the new schedule, the first trains will depart from Taipei and Tsoying (
The last train will depart at 9:06pm.
Starting next month, three trains will operate during the rush hour.
The non-stop express trains from Taipei to Tsoying will only take approximately 96 minutes to complete the journey, whereas trains that are making stops at every station will take approximately 102 minutes to reach their destination.
In accordance with the contract signed with the bureau, THSRC must increase the frequency of trains to 61 in each direction by the end of September.
In related news, the passenger who purchases the 5 millionth THSRC ticket will be awarded 10 business-class tickets, a THSRC spokesman said yesterday.
The winner will be able to use the tickets at any time within one year and will also receive four models of the high speed train, the spokesman said.
The 5 millionth passenger is expected to buy a ticket today or tomorrow, as the number of THSRC passengers had reached 4.82 million last Wednesday and was growing by an average of 35,000 passengers per day, he said.
Purchasers of the 4,999,999th ticket and 5,000,001th ticket will each win two business-class tickets and a model of the train, the spokesman said.
Additional reporting by CNA
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
RSS