《TAIPEI TIMES》 MOTC mulls railway track expansions

FASTER TRAIN TRAVEL: The transport ministry’s planned upgrades to sections throughout Taiwan, to be finished by 2027, are under review at the Executive Yuan

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

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The Ministry of Transportation and Communications （MOTC） yesterday said it is studying the feasibility of upgrading certain single-track railway sections to dual tracks, after the electrification of all Taiwan’s major railways has been completed.

The South Link Line became fully electrified yesterday after seven years of construction.

President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） marked the occasion with a ride on a Puyuma Express train from Taichung Railway Station to Taimali Station （太麻里） in Taitung County, accompanied by Premier Su Tseng-chang （蘇貞昌） and Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung （林佳龍）.

Travelers would no longer need to change from electric express trains to diesel-powered trains when transferring to the South Link Line, Tsai said at a ceremony in Taitung.

The electrification of the line has made it possible to travel around the nation by train in about nine hours, Lin wrote on Facebook.

The ministry said it aims to shorten the travel time to six hours by extending the high-speed rail routes to Yilan and Pingtung counties and safely increasing the speed of trains along the east coast.

Certain railway sections only comprise a single track, the ministry said, adding that it is studying the feasibility of adding second tracks.

Nearly 70 percent of the railway line between Taitung’s Jhihben （知本） and Hualien stations is a single track, the ministry said, adding that multiple sections along the west coast and the South Link Line are also single tracks.

On these sections, there is little flexibility for adjustments to railway timetables, as trains regularly have to wait at passing loops for trains traveling in the opposite direction, the ministry said, adding that this would limit the potential for adding train services.

Malfunctions would at times also cause train delays, the ministry added.

The ministry seeks to upgrade single-track sections between Hualien and Jhiben totaling 112km, it said.

The Environmental Protection Administration has approved the ministry’s plan, it said, adding that the Executive Yuan is conducting a final review of the potential upgrade.

The ministry said that it is awaiting government approval before planning further details, but aims to finish the upgrade by 2027.

Moreover, there are five single-track sections on the Coastal Line, and a majority of the South Link Line are single tracks, the transport ministry said.

For these sections, it aims to complete feasibility studies by March and April in 2022, respectively, the ministry said.

Challenges to upgrades to the South Link Line would be greater, as the local geography allows little room for railway expansion, the ministry said, adding that it is considering several options, including building new railway routes.

Additional reporting by CNA

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES