Bureau of High Speed Rail (BOHSR)

The BOHSR is principally responsible for matters concerning the construction of the Taiwan High Speed Rail and rapid transit systems in metropolitan areas. Since our establishment in 1990 as the Preparatory Office and our reorganization as the Bureau in 1997, the BOHSR had initially focused on the implementation of the HSR project. Carried out as a BOT project with investments from the private sector, the HSR began its full operations in March, 2007. In the wake of the government’s green light to tourists from mainland China visiting Taiwan and the country’s economic resurgence, the HSR’s passenger load, seat occupancy rate, and revenues from ticket sales have reached new highs, and the levels of service regarding HSR ticket sales and passenger services have also been continually upgraded. Besides the convenience store ticket buying and retrieving service, the HSR has also launched the “T Express” for ticket purchases via mobile phones, significantly simplifying the process of ticket purchase and retrieval to benefit passengers. Furthermore, in 2011, the HSR topped the list of the country’s 100 great construction projects in an online voting organized by the Public Construction Commission, Executive Yuan.

In support of the functional and organizational adjustments of the Taiwan Provincial Government, in July 1999, the BOHSR took over the construction of rapid transit systems in the Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, and Tainan metropolitan areas and the provincial government’s coordination with the Taipei MRT and the Kaohsiung MRT. Since the Executive Yuan’s approval of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System Construction Project on March 9, 2004, the BOHSR has actively carried out the project’s designing and construction, and the line’s viaducts. During 2005 to 2011, BOHSR overcame the impacts of sharp rise in raw material prices, with progressive completion of various tenderings on mechanical & electrical, and civil construction bids, and the construction quality is affirmed frequently; for example, in 2010, the contract CU02A for the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System received the “Award of High Distinction” for the civil engineering category of the 10th Public Construction Golden Quality Award of Public Construction Commission, Executive Yuan, and the contract CU02 received the Excellent Public Works Award for Promoting Labor Safety and Health. In 2011, the contract CE02 and CE01D for the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System received respectively the “Award of High Distinction” and the “Award of Excellence” for the civil engineering category of the 11th Public Construction Golden Quality Award of Public Construction Commission, Executive Yuan. Moreover, the contract CE01C and CE01D won the Promotion of Occupational Safety and Health Outstanding Public Construction Award organized by the Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan, and the contract CE02 was affirmed by the “Nomination” award. In addition, BOHSR and its subordinated MRT Engineering Office have been authenticated by ISO 9001 Quality Management System in July 2014. All of above can fully demonstrate the BOHSR is an excellent engineering team.

Currently, the work of BOHSR focuses on the continuing implementation of projects related to the airport MRT system (including the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System Construction Project and the Construction and Land Development Project of the Extension of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System to Zhongli Railway Station), HSR-related projects (i.e. improvement projects of access road systems to HSR station districts, subsequent construction projects of HSR, and the enforcement of the High Speed Rail BOT contract), HSR station districts and airport MRT land development projects, and the supervision of HSR operations. We at the BOHSR will devote our every effort to complete our tasks on time and on quality.

Aside from the continuing implementation of bureau affairs, the BOHSR will merge with the Railway Reconstruction Bureau to create the Railway Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Construction in coordination with the organizational reform policy of the Executive Yuan. The affairs and manpower of BOHSR will be adjusted and restructured gradually, and the proper placement of personnel and the seamless connection of various affairs will be two of the most important issues during the period of organizational streamlining and merging. The BOHSR will face all challenges and will overcome all difficulties, being fearless of changes in the environment. We will coordinate and push all participating firms to actively administer the progress of projects and will carefully and rigorously conduct system installations and testing operations to ensure the operation safety and performance stability of MRT systems in the future. Furthermore, we will strive for a close linkup of the Taoyuan International Airport MRT and the various transportation systems – HSR, TRA, and metropolitan MRTs, providing travelers with a seamless transfer service of comfort, safety and punctuality.

In the future, BOHSR will continue to follow the quality policy as “Excellence, Innovation, Safety, and Environmental Protection”, carrying out the statistical analysis against the customer satisfaction surveys, internal audit results, procedure performance execution, and execution process information, in order to understand the matters should be improved and continue to improve, so as to achieve high-efficiency and high-quality service. Finally, we hope that this provided website of BOHSR is able to meet your needs. If you have any advices or suggestions, please leave your valued opinions in the Director-general’s Mail Box found on the BOHSR homepage, and we will deal with them with the sincerest attitude. Here we also wish you all good health and good luck in everything!

• 28/04 Outline of the Pre-operational Testing of the TIAA MRT Automatic Fare Collection System