The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) yesterday officially became the state-run Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC), with the management of the newly established firm vowing to provide a safe and efficient service.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) and other officials attended the inauguration ceremony, unveiling the new sign for the nation’s oldest and largest railway system, which has been in operation since 1887.
Tsai said that TRA carried a heavy financial burden because it was charged to operate many unprofitable routes, adding that the significant amount of pension fund contributions that had to be distributed to TRA employees as well as the agency’s asset management added further economic expenses.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The plan to corporatize the railway agency was proposed in 2002 and was scheduled to be completed in 2004, but it did not materialize until after two major fatal derailments in 2018 and 2021, which convinced the public that a comprehensive reform at the agency was necessary.
“It took more than 20 years for the TRA to become a state-run railway corporation. The government had been trying to find the best solutions to minimize the impact of the systematic change on workers while reforming the agency to ensure a safe and stable operation,” Tsai said.
“We thank the families of victims for helping the railway agency transform into a state-run company and push for safety reform,” she said.
The government would continue to subsidize the railway firm to relieve its financial burden and help it develop its properties to ensure efficient, sustainable and safe operations, Tsai said.
TRC chairman Du Wei (杜微) said the company has to raise ticket prices, adding that the prices have not been adjusted for more than 20 years.
“We will make sure that safety and service issues are addressed first, but we begin studying
ticketing-related issues this year. We will also gauge the public’s attitude and suggestions before making any change,” Du said.
The TRA had accumulated a short-term debt of about NT$170 billion (US$5.5 billion), which would now be repaid by a fund established solely for the purpose of servicing the debt, Du added.
“The company now starts from square one. We will pay special attention to our financial
soundness… The company’s cash flow is projected to turn positive by 2026. As for the accounting, the financial statement is expected to turn from a loss to a profit in 2028 due to huge depreciation write-offs,” he said.
Du also said that the company has a staffing shortage of about 1,000 to 1,100 people, adding that the staff would soon be replenished with new employees recruited during the second half of next year.
New employees would undergo intensive educational training before they can officially be placed on duty, he said.
As the Taiwan Railway Union is scheduled to vote on whether to go on strike during the Lunar New Year holiday, Du said that the company would negotiate with the union as quickly as possible.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
RSS