A bullet to the future

This article was written by Pat Gao and published by the Taiwan Review on September 1, 2007. It reports that the newly launched high-speed railway system gives Taiwan another national railway network and is a major move to restore balance to the nation's rail-to-road ratio.

Taiwan's first national highway, the 373-kilometer North-South Freeway, was opened in 1978. The highway helped shape the nation's three largest metropolitan areas -- Taipei in the north, Taichung on the central western plain, and Kaohsiung in the south. More importantly, the highway brought together the rapidly urbanizing regions and stimulated the development of roads and rail routes that connect emerging rural towns and villages with major cities.

Now, the new high-speed railway system is fueling another important realignment of living space in western Taiwan. Some scholars even predict that this transportation landmark is going to integrate Taiwan into one big metropolis.

Firstly, the high-speed rail connection between Taipei and Kaohsiung has reduced the four-hour regular railway journey to less than two hours. This is expected to foster a considerable paradigm shift in Taiwan's transportation business. In the past, Taiwan had put more effort into its highways than railway services. The result is that the country's roads extend for more than 39,000 kilometers, in contrast with the 1,100-kilometer railways of the round-the-island network mapped by the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA).

Although the mass rapid transit (MRT) systems in Taipei and Kaohsiung, the latter of which is scheduled for completion at the end of 2008, has restored some balance to the rail-to-road ratio, they are only within those two metropolitan areas. Now, the high-speed railway system, which began service in January 2007, is an attempt to readdress this imbalance. Indeed, railways require roughly the same amount of land to develop as roads, but afford greater capacity. As new MRT systems and light rail networks are built to connect high-speed railway stations to downtown areas in all major cities in western Taiwan, more people and businesses are expected to choose railways for daily transportation.

Other experts argue that while the high-speed railway system has great potential to be a trendsetter for an emerging one-day commuting route, it has to build a reliable and sustainable business model. Currently the high-speed railway service has two primary user groups -- business travelers and tourists, who have money or leisure time. In order to attract more members of the general public, such as ordinary commuters, the Taiwan High-Speed Railway Corp. (THSRC) needs to lower ticket prices and increase regular usage.

The high-speed railway is expected to greatly boost the development of the Taichung area, since it takes only 40 minutes to an hour to travel from the central Taiwanese city to either Taipei or Kaohsiung. Consequently, sophisticated urban and industrial development plans are needed. New constructions along the railway line are expected to boast regional and cultural characteristics while serving commercial and industrial needs.

Some scholars argue that as a symbol of a new age, the high-speed railway system needs to play a positive role in satisfying people's desires for greater aesthetic pleasure and everyday well-being in general. More importantly, the fast, safe and comfortable bullet trains should enhance a sense of happiness for Taiwanese people, especially those who live in central and southern rural areas. In the words of these scholars: “Between rural and urban areas, at least the mental distance is greatly reduced.”

Finally, a high-tech achievement, the high-speed railway system is not only a means of transportation but is itself a major tourist attraction. More local and international tourists are expected to travel between Taipei and Kaohsiung, instead of staying only in northern Taiwan. According to the Travel Agent Association of ROC, Taiwan, there are now more one-day tours arranged for local and international tourists, but less demand for overnight hotel stays. Convenience is always a decisive factor in tourism.

According to this article, thanks to the launch of the high-speed railway system, individual regions along Taiwan's west coast are now striving to develop and maintain a competitive and distinctive edge. The railway is expect to bring about a redistribution of regional resources and new competition between local flavors ad strengths. For example, results of a recent survey show that the highest number of job opportunities in 2007 are in Kaohsiung, Taoyuan and Tainan, while the next three on the list (Hsinchu, Taichung and Taipei) also have their own high-speed railway stations. In other words, human resources in knowledge-intensive businesses and public investment are expected to gather in the regions served by the high-speed railway system. New economic models are therefore required.