The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a NT$5.67 billion (US$172.9 million) budget over five years to fortify eight key railway bridges against extreme weather.
Climate change and the increasing frequency of events such as earthquakes and typhoons have affected railway safety, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said, adding that some railway bridges must be upgraded to comply with the latest river management plans.
Planning is expected to be completed this year, followed by land acquisition, finding contractors and starting construction, the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of a reader via CNA
Among the eight bridges are Bajhangsi Bridge (八掌溪橋) connecting Chiayi County and Tainan, and Gaoping Bridge (高屏大橋) connecting Kaohsiung and Pingtung County.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) deems the project essential for meeting disaster prevention standards, increasing passenger safety and ensuring the reliability of Taiwan’s railway service, Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference following the weekly Cabinet meeting.
Cho also hoped for the cooperation of the ministry, agencies responsible for river and slope management, and local governments, Lee said.
Additionally, Cho urged Taiwan Railway Corp to review flood prevention plans for the Dahukousi Bridge (大湖口溪橋) in Yunlin County after the damage caused by Typhoon Gaemi last year, she said.
An additional 171 bridges require reinforcement to reach seismic and flood resistance standards, Cho said.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
RSS