The Bureau of High Speed Rail yesterday said that the high-speed rail stations in Miaoli, Changhua and Yunlin counties would begin operation in December this year, adding that Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) should consider offering differential train fares due to changes in service quality.
Bureau of High Speed Rail Director-General Allen Hu (胡湘麟) said that the high-speed rail station in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) is scheduled to open in the middle of next year and that the number of stations on the high-speed rail line would be increased from eight stations to 12 with the addition of the four new stations.
Hu said the travel time from Nangang to Zuoying District (左營) in Kaohsiung would increase to 150 minutes if the train stops at each station along the way. The travel time from Taipei to Kaohsiung, on the other hand, is to reach 138 minutes.
There are high-speed rail stations in Taipei, Banciao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung.
The fastest train service from Taipei to Kaohsiung, which makes stops at Banciao and Taichung only, takes 96 minutes. A high-speed rail ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung costs NT$1,630 one way.
Hu said that THSRC should consider lowering the fares for trains making stops at each of the 12 stations along the route because passengers face longer travel times. It would be unfair if passengers taking these non-express trains are charged the same as those taking express trains.
THSRC spokesman Max Liu (劉文亮) said that the company believes that these new stations will help increase passenger volumes for the high-speed rail system, adding that a more accurate estimate of the potential increase would require further analysis.
The firm does not plan to cancel the fastest train service, Liu said.
However, he did not confirm whether the company would offer a service that stops at every high-speed rail station, nor did he say whether the ticket price for such a service would be lower than the current price.
Liu also said that several factors would affect ticket pricing, including the distance traveled, the class of the train cabin and the operational costs on each section of track.
The company would examine these factors, determine the number of the train service models and change the timetable, before submitting its plans to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), Liu said.
Meanwhile, the bureau is scheduled to complete its airport rail system construction by the end of this month, which includes an integrated test, Hu said.
Starting next month, the system is to undergo a six-month prelaunch trial run, he added.
“We are planning to apply in October to have the system inspected by the MOTC,” he said.
In other developments, the Taiwan High Court yesterday ruled that THSRC must pay China Development Financial Holding Corp and Continental Engineering Corp a total of about NT$1.1 billion (US$35 million) as the two litigants wish to redeem their preferred stock, which was issued to raise funds to construct the high-speed rail system.
Currently, THSRC has NT$1.8 billion in cash. It still faces about 40 lawsuits regarding the redemption of the preferred stock.
“We will appeal after receiving the official verdict from the court,” Liu said.
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