Taipei, June 17 (CNA) The state-run train operator Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to increase its ticket prices by 11-27 percent.
Deputy Transportation Minister Hu Hsiang-ling (胡湘麟) told CNA on Saturday that the proposed fare hikes would need to be discussed by a review committee, but a date has not been set.
With its fares frozen for 28 years since 1995, the TRA recently proposed raising its ticket prices, which would generate a profit of 1 percent for the longtime loss-making train operator.
Under the proposal, tickets for Tze-Chiang express trains would be increased by 11 percent, while fares for Chu-Kuang express trains would go up 15 percent, and local trains by 27 percent.
This means, for example, the fare from Taipei to Kaohsiung would be raised from NT$843 to NT$940 on a Tze-Chiang train, while the cost would increase from NT$114 to NT$145 for a local train from Taipei to Hsinchu.
With regard to the proposed fare adjustments, former transport minister Ho Chen-tan (賀陳旦) suggested that they do not necessarily have to be reflected on all passengers, but on certain users, similar to how Taiwan Power Co. charges different rates for household and industrial users.
Lee Ker-tsung (李克聰), a transportation technology and management expert with the Consumers’ Foundation, said the TRA could instead set fare hikes for only certain lines, such as sightseeing and busy commuter routes.
Speaking to reporters at an event in Keelung, Transportation Minister Wang Kuo-tsai (王國材) said the TRA is currently undergoing the process of corporatization, hence there will not be any ticket price changes before yearend.
The fare adjustment will also need to be approved by the new board of directors at that time, before discussions could be held by the MOTC, Wang explained.
