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Published: December 26, 2006
The Taiwan high-speed rail system passed inspection on Sunday. On Monday, Premier Su Tseng-chung, his wife Chan Hsiu-ling and other related government officials took a ride on the rail line from Tsoying in Kaohsiung to the Banqiao stop just outside of Taipei. Premier Su was briefed on the state of the high-speed rail line before the train left Tsoying. After the briefing, Premier Su said that after the formal inauguration of the line, people will be able to get anywhere on Taiwan in a day. He said the new rail line not only marks the beginning of a new age in transportation on Taiwan, but also will bring changes to industry and lifestyles, enabling all of Taiwan to be a single economic entity. Premier Su said he hoped that the high-speed rail line will boost Taiwan's national competitiveness and bring people and industry closer together.
The premier said that it has taken eight years to build the high-speed rail line at a cost of NT$430 billion. The construction has spanned the tenure of seven ministers of transportation and communication. He said the rail line has undergone an exhaustive inspection procedure, in which international inspection and certification organizations and experts have carried out comprehensive inspections. Inspectors finally gave the thumbs up to the rail line on Sunday. Su said that he was delighted to be able to take the train from Tsoying to Banqiao as the major construction project has been completed. He said he has witnessed the efforts of so many people to make the project come to fruition and welcomes the arrival of the "Epoch of Transportation."
Su said that he previously indicated that the foremost concern in whether to open the high-speed rail line was safety. If the rail line did not pass inspection, it would indicate that there were still safety issues to address, and he would not ride the train. He said that many people had told him that the high-speed rail line is even better than Japan's Shinkansen and smoother than Europe's high-speed rail. He said that he had not been convinced before the inspection process was over. However, given that the high-speed rail has now passed inspection, he hopes everyone will make an effort to experience the rail line. Su said that the rail line has passed inspection by professionals, and this has nothing to do with politics. He said everyone should trust and respect the professionals. As the rail line has passed inspection, he urged people who are not involved in the inspection process to refrain from criticizing the experts who carried out the inspection.
The premier and his wife were accompanied on the test ride by Minister without Portfolio Ho Mei-yueh, Minister of Economic Affairs, Chen Ruey-long, Government Information Office Minister Cheng Wen-tsang, and Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Minister Shih Ning-jye. After completing the ride, the premier said that the entire system, from the train stations to the carriages, is beautiful and that the carriages are comfortable and quiet inside. Even at a speed of 299 kilometers per hour, the ride is extremely smooth. He said that even when trains pass each other from opposite directions, there is hardly any vibration.
The premier personally toured the carriages and reviewed the seats and restrooms for disabled persons. He said that he was extremely satisfied with these and other related facilities.
Members of the press asked Su whether he would take the high-speed rail in the future when he needs to travel around Taiwan for various inspections and visits. The premier replied that it takes only 20 minutes on the high-speed rail to go from Hsinchu to Banqiao, and that there is no need to worry about traffic jams. He said that this was unlike other forms of transportation, in which one cannot control how fast one can go. He said that if he needs to travel from Hsinchu to Taipei, he will use the high-speed rail and he will also encourage other government heads to use the train as much as possible.
Su said that it is truly an amazing feat for the high-speed rail to overcome all sorts of obstacles and to finally be ready to operate on a formal basis. He said Taiwan is entering a new stage in rail-based transportation, adding that he hopes everyone will experience the line. He also expressed his appreciation to those who worked so hard over the years to complete the rail line.
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