Taiwan's many accomplishments in transportation construction have won international recognition, and the government will continue working to provide a quality public transportation environment, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said at the Cabinet meeting held today.
After hearing the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' (MOTC) report on the results of transportation policies over the past eight years, the premier commended the MOTC for its efforts. One project launched in 2010 steadily increased the use of public transportation by encouraging citizens to take buses rather than drive private automobiles. In 2015, Taiwan's electronic toll collection system earned an Industry Award from the Intelligent Transportation System World Congress. That same year, a project to widen the Wugu to Yangmei section of National Freeway No. 1 also received a Global Road Achievement Award in the design category from the International Road Federation.
On railway line systems, Premier Mao said the MOTC's Taiwan Railways Administration has re-established its position in western Taiwan by significantly improving operation efficiency for seven consecutive years since 2009. As for the privately run Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp., a successful financial reform and three new stations at Miaoli, Yunlin and Changhua have solidified its role as a major transport provider along the island's west coast. Other achievements included the Hualien-Taitung electric railway system, which began operation in 2014; construction of mass rapid transit systems in urban areas; and improvement of railway software and hardware equipment.
In terms of maritime shipping and civil aviation, the MOTC separated administration from operation systems, which has improved the functions of seaports and airports as the nation's gateways and paved a foundation for long-term development. Premier Mao also requested the MOTC to fast-track important renovation projects such as the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and the Port of Kaohsiung so as to reinforce the nation's competitiveness in sea and air transport services.
According to the MOTC, it has been pushing transportation construction projects under the i-Taiwan 12 Projects since 2008 with many outstanding results. For instance, the time it took to widen the Wugu-Yangmei section of National Freeway No. 1, which was opened to traffic on April 20, 2013, was shortened to four years from the originally planned six years. The entire project was completed at a cost of NT$58.7 billion (US$2.0 billion), saving government coffers up to NT$29.6 billion (US$1.0 billion).