The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) would be allowed to raise ticket prices in 2024 if its safety and punctuality record improves, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) told an online talk show yesterday.
Wang was invited by Yahoo TV host and political commentator Wang Shi-chi (王時齊) to talk abut the Statutes Governing the Establishment of the State-Run Taiwan Railway Co (國營台灣鐵路股份有限公司設置條例), which the legislature passed on May 27.
Wang Shi-chi asked if the ministry plans to adjust TRA fares, which have not changed for 26 years, despite its annual personnel expenditure exceeding NT$10 billion (US$338.75 million).
Photo: Screengrab from the Yahoo TV Web site
“It is not that we should not talk about raising ticket prices. It is a topic that we can talk about when the TRA delivers safe and punctual railway services,” the minister said. “If the railway agency shows significant improvements in safety and punctuality, I see no problem with adjusting ticket prices when the railway company is officially established in 2024.”
The TRA sustained an average loss of NT$5 billion per year over the past five years, he said.
“After the [past] two fatal train derailments, a structural change was considered to be key to comprehensive reform at the TRA,” Wang Kwo-tsai said. “Many people would find it difficult to accept if the agency were allowed to raise ticket prices at this time.”
TRA services are less punctual than those of the high-speed rail and MRT systems because it has 23 different types of trains in its fleet, he said.
“We have begun to streamline train types by replacing some of the old trains with newly purchased EMU900 commuter trains and EMU3000 intercity trains,” he said, adding that the measure is crucial in enhancing the TRA’s service quality.
The bill sailed through the Legislative Yuan last month as the public has reached a consensus on the issue, and it was supported by the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan and lawmakers across party lines, he said.
He was also asked when borders would be reopened to international travelers, as several Asian countries, including Singapore, Thailand, Japan and South Korea, have lifted or relaxed quarantine and testing requirements for travelers regardless of whether they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Tourism Bureau has stipulated disease prevention guidelines for inbound and outbound tourists, which must be submitted to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) for final approval, he said.
Based on the proposed guidelines, all foreign arrivals would be required to have received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and to present a negative polymerase chain reaction test result, he said.
Package tour groups must come and leave the country as a group, he added.
“The CECC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are still discussing if the country should open borders to tour groups first, or if it should simultaneously open to group and independent travelers,” he said.
The CECC’s main concern is whether Taiwan has adequate healthcare capacity to cope with a potential surge in COVID-19 cases, as the local outbreak has plateaued, but remains high, and subvariants of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 are emerging in other countries, Wang Kwo-tsai said.
The Executive Yuan has agreed to the ministry’s plan to provide a NT$6 billion stimulus fund program to shore up the domestic travel industry from July 15 to Dec. 15, which is expected to benefit travel agencies, hotels and amusement park operators, he said.
“Tour operators can use the time before borders reopen as a warmup period for hosting international travelers,” he said. “We are also encouraging people to travel domestically while the borders are still closed. With the subsidy, they can visit scenic spots in Taiwan that are just as beautiful as those in other countries.”
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