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Taiwan high-speed rail steams toward Xmas launch
2006-11-30
A super-fast rail line, the world's second to use ground-breaking Japanese bullet train technology, is steering toward a year-end service launch in Taiwan after years of delays. "We expect to have a Christmas gift" for the people of Taiwan, said Samuel Lin, deputy chief operating officer for the line's builder, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp., at one of the line's first test drives for the public on Thursday. "We hope our contribution is not only to give convenience to the public. It's another kind of revolutionary development." Nearly a decade in the making, the line and its sister line in Japan are the world's fastest using conventional rails, with top speeds of up to 315 kilometers per hour. The world's fastest commercial train, which uses magnetic levitation technology, is a line capable of speeds of more than 400 kph connecting downtown Shanghai with its suburban airport. Travel on the Taiwan train's main route, connecting the island's top two cities of Taipei in the north with Kaohsiung in the south, takes some 90 minutes to cover 345 km (214 miles), much less than the current five hours on existing rail service. During a test run on Thursday -- one of the first times the line has been open to outsiders -- the train flew along its north-to-south route, whizzing past rice fields and palm trees. Inside the train that seats up to 989, the compartments are quiet and comfortable, much like the line's Japanese counterpart. In sharp contrast, the train's ride to the present has been anything but smooth, involving numerous cost overruns resulting in a US$15 billion price tag. Technical issues have also dogged the project, including two minor derailments -- both attributed to human error -- in recent weeks during trial runs. SAFETY ISSUES Safety has been one of the most recent concerns, with the train's operator required to clear a number of hurdles set by the transportation ministry before it can launch service. Trains must complete safe test-runs for one month, checking braking ability at stations and meeting other smooth operation conditions before the formal launch will be permitted, a ministry committee decided on Tuesday. "It's safe. For me it's not a problem," said Yvan Beuraert, one of the train's drivers, many of whom come from Europe. "To have small problems is normal." The line will eventually have a dozen stations, with the capacity to handle a train every three to four minutes. Operators are initially aiming for 150,000 passengers a day, which would represent 70 percent of capacity. Two Japanese consortia, led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., were awarded contracts for the tracks, which they built using Japanese bullet train, or Shinkansen, technology. Many people may initially be drawn to the trains as a sort of tourist attraction. Train watching, too, has become a spectator sport for those living in some of the smaller communities along the route. In the town of Hsinchu outside Taipei, thousands of people have been gathering each weekend for guided tours of the local station and to watch as trains go by. "Expectations are high," said Ann Li, a public affairs specialist at the rail operator. "When the train comes, they go 'wow!' and applaud." A one-way Taipei-Kaohsiung ticket will cost T$1,490 when service starts, 30 percent less than an economy-class air ticket.
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