President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday laid out three major areas of reform for the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) following Friday last week’s fatal train crash, saying that there is no need to doubt the government’s determination, as reforming the agency is its “unshirkable responsibility.”
Tsai made the remarks in a speech ahead of a Democratic Progressive Party Standing Committee meeting, during which she observed a minute’s silence for the victims of the Taroko Express crash, which killed 50 people and injured more than 200 after colliding with a truck as it was about to enter the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道) in Hualien’s Sioulin Township (秀林).
The accident “has affected everyone in the nation,” she said.
Photo: CNA
“Everyone is mourning the passengers who lost their lives and are dismayed at the death of the young conductor,” she said, adding that because of this, “reforming the TRA is imperative.”
The three main tasks are to solve problems in the agency’s organizational culture, fix its longstanding financial woes and discuss the best business model moving forward, the president said.
Organizational adjustments would ensure that issues could be solved regionally, thereby increasing management efficiency and safety, she said.
For example, each of the four major work units essential for running the railways should be able to communicate horizontally among themselves, rather than going through a superior, she said.
As many have mentioned, instilling a safety-centric mindset and safety standards among construction workers is of the utmost importance, she added.
No matter the agency’s business model, if management and safety issues are left unsolved, then the public’s expectations would remain unmet, Tsai said.
Fixing the agency’s financials is next on the agenda, Tsai said.
The TRA operates many unprofitable rail lines for the public good, causing it to consistently run at a loss, she said.
Add to that worker pensions, asset activation and other expenses, and it adds up to a huge financial burden that harms not only worker morale, but also operational efficiency and safety, she added.
Without a stable profit, any other reforms could face resistance, she said.
If management and safety can be improved and financial troubles eased, then there would be more space to discuss the best long-term business model for the TRA, she added.
Many reforms have been initiated, but before their effects are seen, it is difficult to avoid criticism, Tsai said, but added that people should not doubt the government’s resolve.
The fruits of government policy over the past five years are slowly becoming tangible, “proving that we have never been afraid to approach difficult reforms,” she added.
“When it comes to the TRA, our view is much the same,” Tsai said. “People everywhere in Taiwan deserve to have a safe path home. Reforming the agency is our unshirkable responsibility.”
Meanwhile, the Taiwan Railway Labor Union said it is glad to see the president show determination in conducting comprehensive reform of the TRA.
“We will see how determined the government is in reforming the agency,” the union said.
“We absolutely support reasonable reform, but the government should not think that turning the TRA into a private or state-run corporation would serve as an all-inclusive solution to all of the problems,” it added.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary