Legislators call for hold on Taiwan Railway fare increase

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Legislative Yuan's Transportation Committee proposed on Monday (May 6) to freeze the Taiwan Railway's eastern ticket prices until the complete recovery of the disaster area.

The Taiwan Railway, which has not adjusted its fares for 29 years, plans to propose a fare adjustment in the second half of 2024. The railway has proposed three plans based on a return on investment (ROI) of 3% to 5%, with the lowest fare from Taipei to Kaohsiung starting at NT$1,144, sparking debate.

Hu Hsiang-lin, the Political Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transportation and Communication, said the analysis provided by the Taiwan Railway was incomplete. He called for further study on basic operating conditions, external socio-economic factors, and transportation market supply and demand changes. A new plan will be proposed in the second half of the year.

Kuomintang (KMT) Legislators Huang Chien-pin and Lin Kuo-cheng also expressed their belief that the eastern region is disadvantaged in transportation, heavily relying on railway transport. They argue that it would be unfair to the residents of Hualien and Taitung to hastily increase fares before resolving many issues.

Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Li Kun-tse added that the Taiwan Railway should improve safety, service quality, and punctuality before discussing fare adjustments.

In response, Du Wei, the chairperson of the Taiwan Railway, said that they would further adjust ticket prices to make them more reasonable. He pledged to continue improving the railway's signal vehicle faults, strengthen maintenance procedures, and implement information system management to enhance driving equipment.

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