Round-island High Speed Rail a Long-term Goal: Wang 環島高鐵20站爭議 交長稱係遠程目標

Some officials and experts questioned the practicality of constructing twenty high speed rail stations around Taiwan. The Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai explained that it is a long-term goal. 

Minister of Transportation and Communications(MOTC) Wang Kwo-tsai's concept to build 20 high speed rail stations for a round-island trip around Taiwan raised much debate and discussion. The existing high-speed rail system has 12 stations, featuring one line from Taipei City in the north to Kaohsiung City in the south, but plans are to build 6 more stations, extending that line from Taipei to Yilan in the northeast and from Kaohsiung to Pingtung in the far south. Some experts criticized that with the aging population in Taiwan and limited development in the east, there would not be enough passenger flow for high speed rail in the east. Wang gave his explanation.

Wang Kwo-tsai, MOTC Minister: “Taiwan would also like to reach net-zero by 2050, so public transportation would play a very important role. My proposal for the high speed rail stations is a long-term goal that would serve as our basis for all railway infrastructure construction in the future. We would still rely on regular trains in the east for short-distance commutes.”

Wang said that public transportation systems plays a very important role if Taiwan wishes to reach net zero by 2050. However, former MOTC minster Ho Chen-tan thinks differently. Ho said public transportation consists of a variety of models and geographical factors should be considered when building railways. The high speed rail doesn't need to cover all areas, Ho said. He suggested further discussion with Railway Bureau for public transportation integration.

Voice of Ho Chen-tan, Former MOTC Minister: “Efficiency, benefits, price of tickets, and impact on the environment are all areas to consider when it comes to public transportation. The high speed rail system is a good decision and well-built, but it doesn’t mean that the high speed rail should cover all areas in Taiwan.”

Ho used Hengchun Airport nearby Kenting as an example. It was built in Hengchun originally for the fairness of the transportation system in rural areas. However, due to the extremely low passenger rate over the years, the airport has been left idle since 2014 after Uni Air officially ended flights from Taipei to Hengchun. People called it "an airport that feeds mosquitos." The Civil Aeronautics Administration had decided to give Pintung government two more years to plan out reusing the Hengchun Airport for departure and arrival of charter flights. Officials are asking the MOTC to carefully plan and consider all circumstances and possible consequences before constructing public transportation systems.   

 

交通部長王國材的「環島高鐵20站」論述再度引起討論，目前高鐵西部12站，扣除評估中的宜蘭和屏東站，意味未來還可能再設6站，學界抨擊，東部發展有特殊性，加上未來人口老化少子，根本撐不起營運。交通部長王國材強調，交通建設有不同階段，高鐵環島是遠程的目標。

交通部長王國材指出:「2050年全世界是零碳的排放，所以公共運輸會扮演很重要角色，所以必須要有一個遠程的目標，這個遠程目標當然當作我們在鐵道建設的一個基礎，但是近程跟中程還是以東部快鐵為主。」

王國材認為，因應2050年全球零碳排目標，公共運輸扮演重要角色，不過前交通部長賀陳旦直言，公共運輸運具非常多元，還要考量包括環境等地域特性，不代表高鐵就要服務到每一個區域，而是應該由鐵道局全盤計畫，整合公共運輸。

前交通部長賀陳旦認為:「公共運輸也要看他的服務的性能跟他的價格，當然還包括其他在對環境上的衝擊，高鐵就是一個好的例子，我們可以認同公共運輸是一個比較正確的選擇，但不表示說高鐵就應該要服務到每個點或者是每個縣市。」

賀陳旦以鄰近觀光區墾丁的恆春五里亭機場為例，當初建置希望偏鄉交通平權，但儘管鄰近墾丁觀光區，運量依然撐不起，2014年立榮停飛後，閒置到現在，甚至被稱為蚊子機場，目前民航局同意再展延兩年，讓屏東縣府爭取國際包機，存廢未定，因此建議交通部，針對不同地區規劃出適合的公共運輸才是關鍵。