Transportation

Land Transportation

Highways

The government attaches great importance to the development of the nation's highways. Taiwan's highway system provides door-to-door transportation access, and serves as a vital link for sea, air, and rail transportation.

National Highway No.1 -- the Sun Yat-sen Freeway – was the island's first national freeway, and serves as the primary north-south thoroughfare. As traffic volume and transportation needs continue to grow, a number of expansion projects have been initiated and continue today. The nation's second freeway, National Highway No. 3, was completed in Jan. 2004, and the West Coast Expressway is currently being developed as a third major transportation freeway. Construction is also underway for a number of east-west expressways along Taiwan's western corridor, which will connect cities and communities while encouraging tourism and economic development.

In order to balance economic development between eastern and western Taiwan, the government built National Highway No. 5, the Taipei-Ilan Freeway. Part of the freeway features the 12.9 km-long Hsuehshan Tunnel – which is Taiwan's longest tunnel, Asia's second largest, and the fifth largest in the world. The tunnel, considered a feat of engineering for its construction under extreme conditions, was inaugurated on June 16, 2006, and provides faster access between Taiwan's eastern and western regions.

Railways

Taiwan boasts a comprehensive railway network, which serves as one of the primary forms of land transportation for the entire island. Taiwan railways cover 1,093 kilometers with 218 stations operating across the island. All of Taiwan's railway trains are electrified, with the exception of a select number of areas on the east coast. In 2006, Taiwan's railways served nearly 169 million passengers, and handled over 12.87 million tones of freight.

In order to raise service quality, the Taiwan Railway Administration has added highly-advanced trains and electric commuter cars to its fleet, which includes the addition of over 300 new passenger cars to serve the eastern rail lines. In addition, Taiwan's railways are being integrated with other mass transport systems to accommodate transferring passengers. The TRA uses a comprehensive computer ticketing system, which passengers can access through Automated Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM). The ATVM system allows passengers to reserve, pick-up, and purchase tickets, and also provides basic information such as train schedules. Each ATVM-issued ticket has a magnetic strip which is used for automated ticket gate exit/entry for passengers. The TRA also offers ticket reservation services through via telephone and Internet. Phones are even offered for passenger use in trains, and select stations offer broadband multimedia public phones, public Internet access, providing passengers a convenient communications infrastructure.

In order to eliminate city railway infrastructure obstacles, solve traffic bottlenecks, and reduce noise pollution, the TRA is currently carrying out a project to elevate railways or move them underground in Taiwan's major cities. Several express train projects are being planned for the Kaohsiung-Pingtung area and the east coast, with lines extending 18 kilometers and 281 kilometers, respectively.

Rapid Transit Systems

Developing public rapid transit systems in urban areas is one of the government's foremost transportation policies. To improve commuter transportation and short-distance travel services in urban areas, the Taiwan Railway Administration has been active in building a number of rapid transit systems for urban areas. These projects serve to strengthen overall transportation infrastructure and improve the quality of the environment.

• The Muzha, Danshui, Zhonghe, Xiaonanmen, Xindian, and Bannan lines of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit system are completed and in operation. The extended Bannan line went into operation on May 31, 2006, bringing Taipei's MRT system to cover 74.4 kilometers of track. The Neihu Line, the eastern extension of the Nangang line, the Xinzhuang-Luzhou line, the Xinyi line, and the Songshan lines are currently under construction. In addition, planning is underway for an airport express line from Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei.
• The Red and Orange lines of Kaohsiung's rapid transit system are being built and operated by private investors on a BOT basis. Trial runs have already begun in December 2006 from stations R3 to R8. The Kaohsiung City Government is currently exploring the possibility of extending its MRT network to include Pingtung, Ganshan, and Luzhu. In addition, planning is underway for a light rail transport system in the Kaohsiung City area, which would provide a flawless rail transport service network.
• First stage consulting has begun on mass rapid transit systems for the Taichung area and Taoyuan International Airport. MRT systems are also being planned for Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Tainan.
• The light rail transport systems has already completed assessment and research, and its design standards have been drafted. Also planning will continue for the Kaohsiung-Lingang, Kaohsiung-Yanchao, Keelung, Danhai, and Changnan light rail projects.

High Speed Rail

The Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), which extends from Taipei to Kaohsiung's Zuoying Station, went into operation on March 3, 2007. The line extends 345 kilometers, with 10 stations in the cities of Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung-Zuoying. There are also two additional supplementary stations within the Taipei area, in the suburbs of Nangang and Banciao. Other facilities include six maintenance bases and four monitoring stations, which serve to maintain operations and service quality.

The THSR was initiated as a private-sector investment project. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) signed a contract in July of 1998, which stipulated that THSRC would finance, build, and operate the railway. Construction of the line began in 2000.

The highly functional, and energy efficient High Speed Rail system uses little land, produces little pollution, and boasts a high degree of safety. The trains can run at a maximum speed of 300 kilometers per hour, with travel time from Taipei to Kaohsiung at 90 minutes – comparable to travel times by airplane, including wait times for seating and disembarking. The THSR is two to three times faster than the conventional railways, in which travel time from Taipei to Kaohsiung is 4 hours. THSR trains accommodate 989 passengers per trip, and up to 300,000 passengers per day – 30 times the volume of the air travel, 4 times that of the fastest train on conventional railways, and 2.5 times that of the freeways.

In order to accommodate the development of the areas surrounding High Speed Rail stations, special zones have been planned at five THSR stations in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, and Tainan. The areas surrounding these stations are being developed for a number of uses: the surrounding areas at the stations have been specially designated for THSR facilities and as industrial zones. In addition, residential and commercial districts are being planned, to be supported by ample public facilities and infrastructure, convenient transportation, expansive parks, accessible shopping areas, and high-quality schools.

The High Speed Rail -- which cost nearly NTD 600 billion to build -- will have an enormously beneficial effect on Taiwan's economic development, with Taiwan industries expecting significant changes on the horizon.

(Source: 2006 Yearbook, Ministry of Communications and Transportation)

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(Updated July 2007)

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