Taiwan’s transport minister denies 40% rail fare hike claim

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Minister of Transportation and Communications, Li Men-yen (李孟諺) clarified on Sunday (Aug. 18) that media reports about a 40% increase in Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA, 台鐵) ticket prices are incorrect, explaining that no final decision on the fare adjustment has been made.

Li emphasized that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC, 交通部) have asked the TRA to submit a fare adjustment proposal by the end of September. The MOTC and the Executive Yuan (行政院) will then review the proposal.

TRA has not increased its ticket prices for 29 years, and officials expect to start the evaluation process in the second half of this year.

Media reports previously suggested a possible 40% fare hike for local trains, with the fare from Banqiao (板橋) to Taipei (台北) potentially rising from NT$15 to NT$21.

Li acknowledged that TRA's fares are indeed low due to the long hiatus in price adjustments. However, he assured that the government would consider various factors, such as not implementing a full increase at once and providing subsidies similar to those of Taiwan Power Company (Taipower, 台電).

Li also mentioned that passengers using the TPass would not experience significant impacts from the fare increase. The government aims to balance the fare adjustment to minimize the burden on commuters while ensuring the sustainability of TRA services.