Li Sichuan Proposes Including High-Speed Rail in TPASS; Scholars Worry About Increased Subsidies, Fairness
The campaign office of New Taipei City mayoral candidate Li Sichuan is considering a proposal to include high-speed rail in the TPASS commuter pass system, with an additional fee. Scholars today expressed concerns that this would significantly increase subsidy expenditures, potentially crowding out existing commuter resources, affecting fairness, and that high-speed rail's peak capacity is nearly saturated, suggesting evaluation should await future capacity improvements.
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- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 20:24
- 🔍 Collected: May 2, 2026 at 20:31 (6 min after Published)
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Huang Ciao-wen, Taipei 2nd) The campaign office of Kuomintang New Taipei City mayoral candidate Li Sichuan is considering including high-speed rail in the TPASS commuter pass system, with an additional fee. Scholars today believe that this would significantly increase subsidy expenditures, potentially crowding out existing commuter resources, affecting fairness, and that high-speed rail's peak capacity is nearly saturated, suggesting evaluation should await future capacity improvements.
The Kuomintang New Taipei City mayoral candidate Li Sichuan proposed an upgraded concept for the TPASS commuter monthly ticket. Li Sichuan's campaign office stated today that they are currently studying expanding the scope of TPASS, including a plan to incorporate high-speed rail commuting with an additional charge. Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-an also said he expects the four cities to discuss jointly to allow the monthly ticket to cover more public transportation options.
Professor Cheng Yung-hsiang of National Cheng Kung University's Department of Transportation Management Science stated that TPASS is intended to alleviate the burden of "daily commuting," while high-speed rail is a high-priced, long-distance transportation service. The two have different positioning.
Cheng Yung-hsiang believes that if high-speed rail were included at this stage, it would not only significantly increase subsidy expenditures, but also potentially crowd out groups who truly need commuter support, affecting policy fairness. At the same time, high-speed rail's peak capacity is already nearing saturation, which could impact service quality. He suggested a cautious re-evaluation after future capacity improvements.
Li Ke-tsung, convenor of the Consumers' Foundation Transportation Committee, pointed out that including high-speed rail in TPASS is not appropriate. TPASS aims to support daily commuting, while high-speed rail is a high-priced, long-distance transportation service. The natures of the two are different.
Li Ke-tsung stated that if high-speed rail were included in TPASS, it would greatly increase subsidy expenditures, potentially crowding out existing commuter resources, affecting fairness, and could also lead to an imbalance in transportation division of labor, impacting the operation of high-speed rail and the overall transportation system. He believes a cautious approach is warranted at this stage.
In addition, Professor Lai Yung-cheng of National Taiwan University approached the issue from an international perspective. He pointed out that internationally, high-speed rail services such as France's TGV, Germany's ICE, and Japan's Tokaido Shinkansen are not included in urban commuter monthly tickets to maintain capacity allocation and revenue balance.
Lai Yung-cheng stated that high-speed rail is more suitable for maintaining an operating model centered on price mechanisms and differentiated ticket types to balance capacity efficiency and financial stability. (Editor: Lin Shu-hui) 1150502
(Central News Agency reporter Huang Ciao-wen, Taipei 2nd) The campaign office of Kuomintang New Taipei City mayoral candidate Li Sichuan is considering including high-speed rail in the TPASS commuter pass system, with an additional fee. Scholars today believe that this would significantly increase subsidy expenditures, potentially crowding out existing commuter resources, affecting fairness, and that high-speed rail's peak capacity is nearly saturated, suggesting evaluation should await future capacity improvements.
The Kuomintang New Taipei City mayoral candidate Li Sichuan proposed an upgraded concept for the TPASS commuter monthly ticket. Li Sichuan's campaign office stated today that they are currently studying expanding the scope of TPASS, including a plan to incorporate high-speed rail commuting with an additional charge. Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-an also said he expects the four cities to discuss jointly to allow the monthly ticket to cover more public transportation options.
Professor Cheng Yung-hsiang of National Cheng Kung University's Department of Transportation Management Science stated that TPASS is intended to alleviate the burden of "daily commuting," while high-speed rail is a high-priced, long-distance transportation service. The two have different positioning.
Cheng Yung-hsiang believes that if high-speed rail were included at this stage, it would not only significantly increase subsidy expenditures, but also potentially crowd out groups who truly need commuter support, affecting policy fairness. At the same time, high-speed rail's peak capacity is already nearing saturation, which could impact service quality. He suggested a cautious re-evaluation after future capacity improvements.
Li Ke-tsung, convenor of the Consumers' Foundation Transportation Committee, pointed out that including high-speed rail in TPASS is not appropriate. TPASS aims to support daily commuting, while high-speed rail is a high-priced, long-distance transportation service. The natures of the two are different.
Li Ke-tsung stated that if high-speed rail were included in TPASS, it would greatly increase subsidy expenditures, potentially crowding out existing commuter resources, affecting fairness, and could also lead to an imbalance in transportation division of labor, impacting the operation of high-speed rail and the overall transportation system. He believes a cautious approach is warranted at this stage.
In addition, Professor Lai Yung-cheng of National Taiwan University approached the issue from an international perspective. He pointed out that internationally, high-speed rail services such as France's TGV, Germany's ICE, and Japan's Tokaido Shinkansen are not included in urban commuter monthly tickets to maintain capacity allocation and revenue balance.
Lai Yung-cheng stated that high-speed rail is more suitable for maintaining an operating model centered on price mechanisms and differentiated ticket types to balance capacity efficiency and financial stability. (Editor: Lin Shu-hui) 1150502