TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On New Year’s Day (Jan. 1), the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) officially completed the transition from a government agency to a state-owned enterprise, 22 years after the initiative was first proposed in 2002.
The former government office celebrated with a short ceremony outside Taipei Main Station on Sunday (Dec. 31) night, which saw the iron placard for the office of the “Taiwan Railways Administration” replaced by a new sign for the office for the “Taiwan Railways Corporation (TRC),” reported UDN.
Before the sign was unveiled, employees sang several songs accompanied by violin including “Amazing Grace,” Teresa Teng’s “The Moon Represents My Heart,” and Michel Wong’s “Fairy Tale.” Transportation Director Liu Shuang-huo (劉雙火) also played taps on the trumpet as the old sign was removed.
Workers bid farewell to the TRA agency at a midnight ceremony outside Taipei Main Station, Dec. 31. (CNA photo)
On Monday morning (Jan. 1), another ceremony was held inside the main hall of the station to commemorate the denationalization of Taiwan’s rail system. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) spoke at the event and said she hopes the corporatized TRC will mark a new era for public transportation in Taiwan, bringing greater safety to all commuters while reducing financial burdens on the central government, reported LTN.
Victims of families of two major rail disasters, including the Puyuma Express derailment of 2018 and the Taroko Express crash of 2021, were in attendance for Monday’s ceremony. Feng Hui-sheng (馮輝昇), former deputy director of TRA and newly appointed general manager of TRC, said that safety will remain the company’s priority as it shifts to the structure of corporate governance.
A press release noted that the establishment of the TRC represents a new beginning for Taiwan’s rail system. The TRC expects to improve efficiency as it implements organizational reforms as a state-owned enterprise, as it strives to usher in a “golden decade to kick off the next century for Taiwan Railways.”
