Three new high speed rail stations opened to the public Tuesday.
It cost the company NT$4.65 billion (US$155 million) and more than two and a half years to build the stations in Miaoli, Changhua and Yunlin.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, President Ma Ying-jeou said the high speed rail company has set an example of good management. As Southeast Asian countries are scrambling to build high speed rails, Taiwan’s experience has been useful in exporting Taiwan’s service industry.
Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Chairman Liu Wei-chi said his company has entered a new era.
Liu said, “What is the new era all about? To put it simply, we need to introduce the theme of ‘high-speed slow living is a blessing.’ When we talked about slow living in the past, we often talked about the concept of ‘real contact.’ We encourage the public to travel and connect [themselves] with their land. Now we want to promote a ‘new living style’, so the THSR is also an innovative industry.”
Liu said there will be cultural activities in various train stations in the future.