Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) outlined a long-term rail development plan aimed at improving travel times around Taiwan this Tuesday, including four 90-minute travel goals connecting major regions.

Speaking at the state-run Taiwan Railway Corporation’s Railway Day and 139th anniversary celebration event, Cho said the Transportation Ministry’s new plan includes 90-minute routes from Taipei to Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung to Taitung, Taitung to Hualien, and Hualien to Taipei.

Cho said, “The TRA and HSR are both important national transportation infrastructures. This is a new era for what we call ‘dual-rail, dual-core.’” He continued, “This will form a continuous transportation lifeline and artery that keeps moving forward, heading towards all the places people want to go and bringing progress to the nation and hope to the people.”

Premier Cho said it is difficult to strongly support local railway projects with the government’s current budget but that the Cabinet is promoting some without budgetary support through special cases. Cho said this will help accelerate local transportation development.