TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan Railway Corporation (台鐵) on Friday (Jan. 17) urged the Legislative Yuan (立法院) to support its budget proposals aimed at maintaining train safety. The 2025 budget, which seeks to enhance track structure safety, faces opposition from Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), who has threatened to cut the safety budget.
Taiwan Railway explained that the budget proposal focuses on replacing wooden sleeper turnouts and updating aging maintenance vehicles to improve track structure and service quality. The current wooden sleeper turnouts, especially in remote areas, hinder maintenance due to dense train schedules and increased speeds, leading to higher costs.
Taiwan Railway stressed the urgent need to replace outdated maintenance machinery, some of which have been used for over 20 to 30 years, to meet the demands of fully mechanized operations. The company has meticulously evaluated the 2025 budget of NT$850 million, asserting it is essential for safety improvements and not inflated.
Following an incident at the Qidu Marshalling Yard (七堵調車場), the company has implemented corrective measures, including inspecting and maintaining turnouts, accelerating the replacement of wooden sleepers with PC sleepers, and enhancing routine inspections and maintenance.