David on Formosa

Comment from Todd
Time January 3, 2008 at 11:12 am

So empty! Think they’ll cut back on the number of trains that run?

Comment from David Reid
Time January 3, 2008 at 11:36 am

They can’t cut back the number of trains because it is stipulated by the government in its contract with the THSRC. The imminent opening of the Kaohsiung MRT should boost the numbers of passengers a bit.

Comment from Prince Roy
Time January 3, 2008 at 5:36 pm

I consider myself a fan of Taiwan’s HSR except for those ridiculous terminals out in the boonies. And oh yeah, the stop at 板橋 is the most useless and ill-conceived in the history of hi-speed transit.

Comment from David Reid
Time January 3, 2008 at 7:57 pm

Next time you stop in Banqiao just remember that more people live in Taipei County than in Taipei City. The Banqiao station serves more people than stations like Tainan, Xinzhu and Jiayi.

As for the stations being out in the boonies I understand that it is a problem at the moment. However, I think in a few years, development around the stations will make them seem more like destinations and not so much like being out in the countryside. Also completion of rail links like the Shalun line, Taichung MRT and Neiwan extension will make getting to the nearest city centre a lot more convenient. The HSR system is still very much in its infancy. I think we need to wait a few more years before we can really judge its success.

Comment from Prince Roy
Time January 4, 2008 at 10:21 am

Next time you stop in Banqiao just remember that more people live in Taipei County than in Taipei City. The Banqiao station serves more people than stations like Tainan, Xinzhu and Jiayi.

That’s why Banqiao is connected to the city by the MRT. For an HSR to make a stop just eight minutes from it terminus at Taipei station strikes me as somewhat absurd and wasteful.

As for the stations in the countryside, I’ll have to see it to believe it. I remain convinced that people buying a ticket to Gaoxiong actually want to go to Gaoxiong, not Zuoying. Same for Tainan and Taizhong. If they want to develop these rural areas into suburbs, then I think the light rail lines you mention are the way to do it.

Comment from Benjamin Thompson
Time January 4, 2008 at 2:29 pm

Or, you could just as easily argue that people in Taipei could take the MRT to Banciao. Seeing as how 5 million live in Taipei, and 7 million in Taipei County, I think it makes great sense to have both stops. Moreover, I doubt the underground portion allows high speeds, so it’s not adding that much time.

Comment from Joanna
Time January 4, 2008 at 2:53 pm

I love high speed rail. Yes it is a bit inconvenient that the stations are out in the boonies and you do have to pay a high cab fare to get anywhere. However, the architecture of the buildings and convenience of HSR makes up for the out of the way location. David your photos are fantastic!

Comment from David Reid
Time January 4, 2008 at 5:07 pm

Like I said the Banqiao Station serves a very large population. In the future when the MRT orbital line is complete it will be an even more important transportation hub for the Greater Taipei area.

The total time for the stop would be around two minutes anyway. Are you really in that much of a hurry?

You should worry yourself more about the future stations in Miaoli or Yunlin. Are they necessary? Perhaps not, but I think they are important to ensure that the rural areas of Taiwan don’t get left behind with development becoming ever more concentrated in just a few major centres.

They do have plans to build a HSR Station in Kaohsiung. Zuoying will very soon have the MRT which will make it much more convenient to connect to Kaohsiung anyway.

Comment from Prince Roy
Time January 4, 2008 at 11:14 pm

not that I’m in such a hurry, just that it is anticlimactic and pointless to have a stop a mere 8 minutes from where the line begins/ends. If you factor in the braking of the train into Banqiao with the 2 and a half minute stop, I think it just makes more sense to eliminate it -better off just going full steam ahead. Maybe Banqiao serves a large population, but I’ve taken the HSR several times, and I’ve seen very few people get on and off there.

I’ve looked at maps of the anticipated orbital line, and again, there is easy access to Taipei Main Station. I fail to see the logic behind this stop for an HSR system.

Do Miaoli or Yunlin deserve stops? If they would only be on a ‘non-express’ kind of HSR, then perhaps yes, because the first lies almost halfway between Taipei and Taichung, the second between Taichung and Chiayi. In any event, they make way more sense than the Banqiao stop. I would hope most trains, though, are expresses to/from Gaoxiong, Tainan, Chiayi, Taichung, Xinzhu and Taipei.

And as far as the Gaoxiong HSR goes, they just should’ve put the station there from the get go and concentrated on an MRT extension to Zuoying, especially since the HSR is eventually going to wind up at Gaoxiong Main Station anyway.

Comment from David Reid
Time January 5, 2008 at 8:01 am

Benjamin, I think your population figures are a bit high. It is around 2.6 million for Taipei City and 3.7 million for Taipei County.

Comment from cfimages
Time January 5, 2008 at 8:39 am

I’m a huge fan of HSR, maybe because I live 10 mins from Taizhong HSR station. I rarely take TRA trains anymore, except for short trips.

A friend of mine lives near the Zouying station and has seen the value of his apartment go up 20% in the past year since the HSR opened.

At Taizhong, there is now a free shuttle bus from the station to the SOGO area (which seems to be the new downtown). It’s pretty much a straight run up Wenxin Rd, and I’d guess takes the same time to get to SOGO from the HSR as it does from the TRA.

Comment from Benjamin Thompson
Time January 5, 2008 at 11:13 pm

LOL - I have no idea what I was thinking about. Of course you’re right…

Comment from range
Time January 6, 2008 at 1:19 pm

I like the HSR as well, but I haven’t taken it that much in the last year. I love the stations though, they are really nice and impressive.

I like the picture with the cabs. That’s a lot of cabs!

Pingback from TheNHBushman.com | Bushman’s Picks, January 6, 2008
Time January 6, 2008 at 6:02 pm

[...] Reid takes a ride on the Taiwan High Speed Rail, further than he has gone in the past. His photos reveal that the trains are pretty clean, but seem [...]

Comment from Kaminoge
Time January 10, 2008 at 12:24 am

According to an article in the Daily Yomiuri, only about 55,000 to 60,000 passengers a day are riding Taiwan’s shinkansen, which is half the number needed for THSR to make a profit.

Stations in places like Miaoli or Yunlin could help in developing rural areas. On the other hand, they could also serve to pull more young people into the big cities like Taipei and Kaohsiung, where jobs are more plentiful.