| Taiwan High Speed Rail | |
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| Headquarters | Xinyi District, Taipei City |
| Network | 335.50 km |
| Service Type | Inter-City |
| Foundation | 1998 — present |
| Track gauge | Standard gauge (1435 mm) |
| Official website | http://thsrc.com.tw/en/ |
| Taiwan High Speed Rail | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese: | 台灣高速鐵路 or 臺灣高速鐵路 |
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| THSR | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese: | 台灣高鐵 or 臺灣高鐵 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The Taiwan High Speed Rail (traditional Chinese: 台灣高速鐵路, also known as the THSR) is Taiwan's high-speed rail network, running approximately 335.50 kilometers (208 mi) from Taipei City to Kaohsiung City, which began operations on January 5, 2007. Adopting Japan's Shinkansen technology for the core system, the THSR uses the Taiwan High Speed 700T train, manufactured by a consortium of Japanese companies, most notably Kawasaki Heavy Industries[1]. The total cost of the project is currently estimated to be US$15 billion,[2] and is one of the largest privately funded transport schemes to date. Express trains capable of travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph)[3] travel from Taipei City to Kaohsiung City in roughly 90 minutes as opposed to 4.5 hours by conventional rail[4], although local service THSR trains take approximately two hours when stopping at all stations en route.
Contents |
History
The first plans for a high speed rail line linking the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung were proposed in a Ministry of Transportation study in 1990. They were then approved by the Executive Yuan in 1992 and the Legislative Yuan in 1993. The decision to pursue a Build-Operate-Transfer method was also approved. After a prolonged bidding process, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) was formally established in May 1998. The European InterCityExpress (ICE) was initially selected to form the core system of THSR. In 1998, ICE saw the Eschede train disaster in which more than one hundred people died and another hundred were severely injured. Combined with the Chi-Chi earthquake on 21 September 1999, it was decided to adopt Japan's Shinkansen technology instead of ICE due to Shinkansen's "UrEDAS" (Urgent Earthquake Detection and Alarm System, ) earthquake detection system, developed in 1992. Actual construction began in March 2000, with running tests starting in January 2005. In late October 2005, Taiwan High Speed Rail passed its targeted speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) to 315 km/h (197 mph) during testing. Trial runs between Banciao (Taipei) and Zuoying (Kaohsiung), open to the public and with half-price fares, began to operate 19 times daily in each direction starting January 5, 2007.[5] The HSR platforms at Taipei Main Station opened on March 2, 2007.[6], bringing the entire line into operation. Some of the same Japanese companies won another project in December 2005 to build a high speed rail link to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, with the exception of the signaling system which has been awarded to Westinghouse Rail Systems.
Controversy
The project is funded by private means, billed as the largest Build-Operate-Transfer project in the world, but the development corporation THSRC consistently failed to meet its funding targets on time. The project has also been dogged by repeated controversy, including allegations of poor quality construction, claims of unresolved safety concerns (due to three derailments during the tests in early November 2006) by THSRC oppositions, and the one year long delay. [7]. Supporters of the project believe THSR will help relieve traffic congestion along the heavily traveled western corridor, while having the advantages of greater safety, high transit volume, low land occupancy, energy economy and low pollution. It has also been argued that the THSR will help promote the balanced development of western Taiwan. Despite pre-opening doubts, the rail line has reduced much of the Western Taiwan domestic air traffic due to its popularity.
Services
All trains stop at Taipei, Banciao and Taichung stations, but there are several service patterns for other stations. [8]
- Train numbers 1xx: Taipei to Zuoying, stops at Banciao, Taichung only
- Train numbers 2xx: Taipei to Zuoying, stops at Banciao, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan
- Train numbers 3xx: Taipei to Zuoying, stops at Banciao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung
- Train numbers 4xx: Taipei to Zuoying, stops at all stations, local service.
- Train numbers 5xx: Taipei to Taichung, stops at all intermediate stations, local service.
Economy and business classes compartments are available aboard each train, with the latter offering wider seating, individual audio entertainment systems and power outlets for portable electronics in each seat, as well as a WiFi network.[9]
Ridership
Original estimates foresaw an initial daily ridership of 180,000, which would grow to 400,000 by 2036.[10] The initial ridership estimate was later reduced to 140,000 per day[11]. As of September 2007, THSR carries 1.5 million passengers monthly[12], translating to about 50,000 passengers daily. However, operation of high-speed service did not start at full capacity: train frequency is to be ramped up from an initial 19 per direction per day to 61 per direction per day. In 2007, the number of daily train pairs was increased to 25 in April, 31 in June, 37 in July[13], 45 in September[14] and 56 in November.[15] On June 3, 2007, there were 5 million cumulative passengers[16], and on September 26, 2007, the 10 millionth passenger boarded.[12]. The operational break-even level of NT$1 billion[17] was reached in April[18], and THSRC expects to become profitable by 2009.[19]
| January 2007 | February 2007 | March 2007 | April 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NT$598 million | NT$670 million | NT$870 million | NT$1.1 billion |
Stations
Thirteen Taiwan High Speed Rail stations were planned in the western corridor, with eight stations already open in Taipei, Banciao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan and Zuoying. Five more stations (in Nangang, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin and Kaohsiung) will be built in future years.
- Nangang Station (planned): underground, located in Nangang
- Taipei Station: underground, located in downtown Taipei City, shares the station with Taiwan Railway Administration
- Banciao Station: underground, located in Banciao, shares the station with Taiwan Railway Administration
- Taoyuan Station: underground, located in Jhongli, near Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
- Hsinchu: elevated, located in Lioujia, Jhubei, near Hsinchu Science Park
- Miaoli (planned): elevated
- Taichung: elevated, located in Wurih
- Changhua (planned): elevated
- Yunlin (planned): elevated
- Chiayi: elevated, located in Taibao
- Tainan: elevated, located in Gueiren
- Zuoying Station: ground level, located in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City, joint station with Taiwan Railway Administration's new Zuoying Station, line terminus until extension to downtown Kaohsiung Station is built.
- Kaohsiung (planned): underground, downtown Kaohsiung City, joint station with Taiwan Railway Administration's new Kaohsiung Station.
| Station | distance(km) | stopping pattern | connection | location | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nangang (future) | 0.0 | Taiwan Railway Administration - Western Line Taipei Rapid Transit System - Bannan Line |
Taipei City | Nangang district | |||||
| Taipei | 9.7 | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | Taiwan Railway Administration - Western Line (Taipei Main Station) Taipei Rapid Transit System - Danshui Line, Bannan Line, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System |
Zhongzheng District | |
| Banciao | 17.5 | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | Taiwan Railway Administration Taipei Rapid Transit System - Banciao Line, Circular Line |
Taipei County | Banciao City |
| Taoyuan | 42.2 | ｜ | ｜ | ● | ● | ● | Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System Taoyuan MRT System - Blue Line (under construction) |
Taoyuan County | Jhongli City |
| Hsinchu | 72.1 | ｜ | ｜ | ● | ● | ● | Taiwan Railway Administration - Lìujiā Line (tentative) | Hsinchu County | Jhubei City |
| Miaoli (future) | 104.8 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | Taiwan Railway Administration - Taichung Line (Fongfu) | Miaoli County | Howlong Town |
| Taichung | 165.7 | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | Taiwan Railway Administration - Western Line (New Wurih Station) Taichung Metropolitan Area MRT System - Green Line (planned) |
Taichung County | Wurih Town |
| Changhua (future) | 193.8 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | Taiwan Railway Administration - Western Line (New Tianjhong Station) | Changhua County | Tiánjhong Town | |
| Yunlin (future) | 218.4 | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | ｜ | Yunlin County | Huwei Town | ||
| Chiayi | 251.5 | ｜ | ● | ｜ | ● | Chiayi Bus Rapid Transit | Chiayi County | Taibao City | |
| Tainan | 313.8 | ｜ | ● | ｜ | ● | Taiwan Railway Administration - Shālún Line (tentative) | Tainan County | Gueiren Town | |
| Zuoying | 345.2 | ● | ● | ● | ● | Taiwan Railway Administration - Western Line (New Zuoying Station) Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit - Red Line (under construction) |
Kaohsiung City | Zuoying District | |
| Kaohsiung (future) | Taiwan Railway Administration - Western Line, Pingtung Line Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit - Red Line, Green Line (Light Rail) |
Sanmin District | |||||||
Train Simulator
A Taiwan High Speed Rail simulator, known as Railfan: Taiwan High Speed Rail, was developed by Taiwan-based company Actainment and produced by the Japanese publisher Ongakukan in 2007. The software was released on the PlayStation 3 system in Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan & Singapore) and later in Japan as part of the popular Train Simulator series.
Gallery
Trains
 Interior of an Economy class car. |
 Interior of a Business class car. |
 Train pulling into THSR Taichung Station. |
 Handicapped seating. |
Stations
 THSR Hsinchu Station. |
 THSR Taichung Station at night. |
 Northbound platform at THSR Taichung Station. |
 Southbound platform at THSR Taichung Station. |
See also
References
- ^ Kawasaki Heavy Industries (2004-01-30). "New High Speed 700T for Taiwan Unveiled at Rollout Ceremony". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-04-21.
- ^ Plan Overview. Taiwan High Speed Rail. Retrieved on 2006-05-19.
- ^ [http://www.tunnels.mottmac.com/projects/?mode=region&id=3377 Taiwan High Speed Rail Link - Mott MacDonald Project Page}
- ^ Transportation. A Brief Introduction to Taiwan. ROC Government Information Office. Retrieved on 2006-05-19.
- ^ Taiwan's high-speed rail system to start trial services next week. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
- ^ Taiwan 'Shinkansen' debuts. Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
- ^ Shan, Shelley. "Kuo sets deadline for inspection", The Taipei Times, May 4, 2006, pp. 2.
- ^ THSR Timetable, effective November 9, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-05.
- ^ Business Class. Taiwan High Speed Rail. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- ^ "High-speed rail bidders confident", Taiwan Journal, 1997-05-09. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ^ "High-speed rail to give birth to new towns", Taiwan Journal, 2004-07-23. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ^ a b https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2007/09/27/2003380666
- ^ "台灣高鐵7月27日起增班為每日單向37班並延長售票時間。", THSRC, 2007-07-11. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. (Chinese)
- ^ "台灣高鐵自9月14日起進行增班：北上46班、南下45班之詳細資訊", THSRC, 2007-09-03. Retrieved on 2007-10-30. (Chinese)
- ^ http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2007/10/24/127907/High-speed-rail.htm
- ^ "THSRC sees 5 millionth passenger", The China Post, 2007-06-04. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ^ "THSRC runs in red during first 2 months of operations", The China Post, 2007-03-13. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ^ "THSRC April revenue exceeds NT$1 bil.", The China Post, 2007-05-11. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ^ https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2007/10/16/2003383461
Further reading
Hood, Christopher P. (2006). Shinkansen – From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-32052-6.
External links
- Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation Official Website
- Photographs of the THSR
- Taiwan High Speed Rail Gallery
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| Inter-city | Taiwan Railway Administration • Taiwan High Speed Rail |
| Rapid transit | Metro Taipei • Taoyuan MRT • Taichung MRT • Kaohsiung MRT |
| Bus Rapid Transit | Chiayi Bus Rapid Transit |
| Airport rail link | TRTS Purple Line • KMRT Red Line |
| Industrial and Tourist | Alishan Forest Railway • Taiwan Sugar Railways • Taiping Mountain Forest Railway |
| Planned | Keelung LRT • Hsinchu MRT • Tainan MRT |
