New train improves connections between Tainan and high speed rail

from Railway Gazette Int'l

Tainan has nominally had a high speed rail station for four years, but the station is on the outskirts of town. Until this month a single bus that took at least fifty minutes from downtown Tainan was the only transit connection to the station. But that changed on January 14 when the Shalun line opened, running from Zhongzhou Station on the new Shalun Station with an additional new station at Chang Jung Christian University. Shalun Station is connected to Tainan's high speed rail station by a 34m walkway. It appears that most trains will start actually start at Tainan Main Station, although some trains will start in north Tainan County.

The line is part of plans by Taiwan's Railway Administration to use its normal speed trains to improve travel within regions and within metro areas and to help people connect with the high speed train for intercity travel. It was fairly expensive to build. In the 1990's, transportation projects in Taiwan had a tendency to spend more on corruption than actual construction. Things improved immensely during the past decade, leading to the completion of the Taipei metro and other important transportation projects. Let us hope that the high cost of this line is a hold-over from the past or a result of unusual technical difficulties, not an indication of future trends.

Solar and Water Conservation Together in One Station

Taiwan's Central News Agency reports that the new Nanke Station, Tainan is entirely powered by solar energy during the day. The sun also provides natural light inside the station.

TRA to open first solar powered railway station

It looks like the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is letting the high-speed rail line concentrate on transporting cross-country passengers while the TRA shifts to transporting more people inside provinces. This is probably a good thing as public transportation in Taiwan has traditionally been inadequate in Taiwan. In addition to the new station, there is going to be free shuttle service to and from the nearby Southern Taiwan Science Park as well as a bicycle rental shop in the station area.

The station also saves water. The roof will be able to collect rainwater and store up to 210 cubic meters of water.

Traditional Lunches for the High Speed Train

Taiwan Railways has lost customers to the new high-speed line, but many of those customers miss the old railways food. In response, Taiwan Railways has opened box lunch stands at Taichung and Kaohsiung Stations. These are the next biggest cities after Taipei.

On opening day in Taichung, the box lunch stand sold twice as many lunches as at Taichung City Station, the station for the conventional rail line. Lunches cost around $2.50 US, and they are big. Probably the high speed train lunches are small and expensive.

Traditional railway battles high-speed foe with lunch boxes

(Just a note. Even if the traditional railways get half the passengers that the high speed rail does, that is still a lot of people.)

More on Taiwan

Click the link for a photo guide from one of my Multiply Buddies about how to take the metro in Taipei, Taiwan.

台北: Riding the MRT

The Daejeon subway also uses round tokens. It is kind of weird putting a coin on a subway.

Taiwan's High Speed Line Sees Increase in Ridership Since Public Takeover

Recently someone forwarded an interesting press release from Taiwan's main news agency to a rail-oriented Yahoo group that I belong to. Apprently, the past year has been the best ever for ridership on Taiwan's high speed line. Currently, the one line serves 3 million passengers a year.

What is interesting about this is that the line has basically been nationalized over the past year. Previously, the private owners were constantly complaining that they couldn't make any money. That ticket sales and other sources of revenue only covered 97% of their operational costs.

The fact is that for a piece of infrastructure to cover 97% of its own costs is unusual. Roads and airports in particular require massive subsidies.

So various government entities allowed private interests to abandon the line to them, and then they lowered prices. Because it is always less of a subsidy for people to take the train than for them to drive. Or fly. And with the volume this line gets, it is less of a subsidy than if those people took the bus.

And of course now that they don't have to make a profit, the line is considered wildly successful.