View source for Taiwan Railways Administration

{{Short description|Former railway operator in Taiwan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{tone|date=August 2019}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2020}}
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{{Infobox government agency
| name                 = Taiwan Railways Administration
| native_name          = 
| native_name_a        = {{lang|zh-hant|臺灣鐵路管理局}}
| native_name_r        = 
| type                 = 
| seal                 = 
| seal_width           = 
| seal_caption         = 
| logo                 = ROC Taiwan Railways Administration Logo.svg
| logo_width           = 200px
| logo_caption         = 
| image                = Entrance East 2, TRA Taipei Station 20160816.jpg
| image_size           = 
| image_caption        = 
| formed               = 1948
| preceding1           = Railway Administration Council, Taiwan Provincial Administrative Executive Office
| preceding2           = <!-- up to |preceding6= -->
| dissolved            = 2023
| superseding1         = None; operations succeeded by Taiwan Railway Corporation Limited
| superseding2         = <!-- up to |superseding6= -->
| jurisdiction         = [[Taiwan]]
| headquarters         = [[Taipei Main Station]], [[Zhongzheng District|Zhongzheng]], [[Taipei]]
| coordinates          = <!-- {{coord|LATITUDE|LONGITUDE|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title}} -->
| motto                = 
| employees            = 
| budget               = 
| minister1_name       = 
| minister1_pfo        = 
| deputyminister1_name = 
| deputyminister1_pfo  = 
| chief1_name          = Du Wei
| chief1_position      = Director-General (2021–2023)
| public_protector     = 
| deputy               = 
| parent_department    = 
| parent_agency        = 
| child1_agency        = 
| child2_agency        = <!-- up to |child25_agency= -->
| keydocument1         = <!-- up to |keydocument6= -->
| website              = 
| agency_id            = 
| map                  = 
| map_size             = 
| map_caption          = 
| footnotes            = 
| embed                =
{{Infobox Chinese/Chinese
|child   = yes
|t       = 臺灣鐵路管理局
|s       = 台湾铁路管理局
|p       = Táiwān Tiělù Guǎnlǐjú
|tp      = Táiwan Tiělù Guǎnlǐjyú
|w       = T'ai<sup>2</sup>-wan<sup>1</sup> T'ieh<sup>3</sup>-lu<sup>4</sup> Kuan<sup>3</sup>-li<sup>3</sup>-chü<sup>2</sup>
|poj     = Tâi-oân Thih-lō· Koán-lí-kio̍k
|tl = Tâi-uân Thih-lōo Kuán-lí-kio̍k
|h       = Thòi-vàn Thiet-lu Kón-lî-khiu̍k
|altname = TRA
|t2      = 臺鐵
|s2      = 台铁
|p2      = Táitiě
|tp2     = Táitiě
|w2      = T'ai<sup>2</sup>-t'ieh<sup>3</sup>
|poj2    = Tâi-thih
|bp2     = Dáitīh
|h2      = Thòi-thiet}}}}

'''Taiwan Railways Administration''' ('''TRA'''){{efn native lang|tw
  |t=臺灣鐵路管理局（臺鐵）
  |p=Táiwān Tiělù Guǎnlǐjú　(Táitiě)
  |m=Tâi-oân Thih-lō͘ Koán-lí-kio̍k (Tâi-thih)
|h=Thòi-vân Thiet-lu Kón-lî-khiu̍k (Thòi-thiet)
  |s=
}} was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated [[Taiwan Railway]] from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight [[Rail transport|railway]] services on {{convert|1097|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} of track.<ref>{{cite web | title=Transportation | work=A Brief Introduction to Taiwan | publisher=ROC Government Information Office| url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/brief/info04_11.html | access-date=2006-05-19 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060518163519/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/brief/info04_11.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2006-05-18}}</ref> Passenger traffic in 2018 was 231,267,955.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statistics |url=https://www.railway.gov.tw/tra-tip-web/tip/file/2c63edfa-ceda-43d5-9ccc-37753dacdf3e |website=railway.gov.tw |access-date=28 October 2019}}</ref>

On 1 January 2024, Taiwan Railway Administration became a state-owned corporation, [[Taiwan Railway Corporation]]. The agency's headquarters was at [[Taipei Main Station]] in [[Zhongzheng District]], [[Taipei]] at the time of dissolution, the site which became the headquarter of the new company.<ref>"[http://www.railway.gov.tw/en/contact.aspx Contact Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419233509/http://www.railway.gov.tw/en/contact.aspx |date=19 April 2019 }}." Taiwan Railways Administration. Retrieved on March 1, 2014. "ADD: No.3, Beiping W. Rd., Jhongjheng District, Taipei City 100, Taiwan (R.O.C.)(Zip Code10041)" - [http://www.railway.gov.tw/tw/ Address in Chinese] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731055623/https://www.railway.gov.tw/tw/ |date=31 July 2018 }}: "{{lang|zh-hant|機關地址：臺北市北平西路三號 （郵遞區號10041）}}"</ref>

==History==
[[File:Teng-Yung locomotive in Taipei Railway Workshop 1999-01.jpg|thumb|The ''Teng-yun'' ({{zh|t=騰雲}}), built by [[Hohenzollern Locomotive Works]], was the first steam locomotive operated in Taiwan.]]
[[File:TRA R51 DL at Level crossing.jpg|thumb|Taiwan Railways' Electro-Motive Division [[EMD G12|G12]]-class diesel locomotive R51]]

The railway between Keelung and Hsinchu was completed during the [[Taiwan under Qing rule|Qing era]] in 1893.{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|pp=620-621|ps=: "The first Formosa railway was built by the Chinese government and was completed in 1893. On the arrival of the Japanese, the line, some 100 kilometers in length, came into their possession. It was found to be in such wretched condition, however, that a satisfactory train service could not be maintained. The rolling stock was also limited and entirely unsuited to the requirements.{{cn|date=March 2022}}

Accordingly work was commenced on the line at once. The Kelung-Taihoku branch was completely reconstructed as so to avoid the numerous short curves and the steep grades. The line leading from Taihoku to the south received also some attention, the total cost of these improvements reaching nearly two million yen. The railway was at this time under the direct control of the Military Department. In 1897, it came under the control of the Civil Department. It was the intention at one time to hand it over to the private railway company organized in Japan for the purpose of completing the Formosa railway system. The private railway company, however, failed to obtain public support, and in 1898 the Formosan government announced its intention of carrying on the work itself. Under the able direction of Chief Engineer Hasegawa the plans were soon formulated, and in 1899 work was commenced on the southern line from Takow north to Tainan, a distance of 28 miles. This section was completed in November, 1900. The Kelung and Shinchiku (Teckcham), lines were repaired, much rolling stock was added, and in the fall of 1900 work was commenced on the short branch line from [[Taipei Railway Station|Taihoku]], (Taipeh) to [[Tamsui Station|Tamsui]], (Hobe), which was completed in June 1901. There is a great deal of traffic between the port Tamsui and Taihoku and its suburbs, [[Wanhua District|Banka]] and Daitotei ([[Twatutia]]). The new line runs via [[Yuanshan Station|Maruyama]], [[Shilin Station|Shirin]], [[Beitou Station|Hokuto]], and [[Guandu Station|Kantau]]."}} In [[1895]], the [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]] ceded [[Formosa]] (Taiwan) to the [[Empire of Japan]] after the [[First Sino-Japanese War]]. The line was about {{convert|100|km|mi}} in length but in a poor condition when the Japanese arrived.{{sfnb|Davidson|1903|p=620}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=James W. |author-link=James W. Davidson |title=Formosa under Japanese rule |date=1903 |publisher=Japan Society |location=London |url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012455485 |oclc=860694076 |page=47|ref=none}}</ref>{{cn|date=March 2022}} The railway was rebuilt and expanded under the {{ill|Railway Department|zh|臺灣總督府交通局鐵道部}} of the [[Government-General of Taiwan]] during [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japanese rule]]. 

Following the [[surrender of Japan]] in the aftermath of [[World War II]], TRA was founded as a government organisation that falls under transport office of [[Taiwan Provincial Government]] in 1948. In 1998, it was transferred to the [[Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Republic of China)|Ministry of Transportation and Communication]] (MOTC) of the central government and employed around 13,500 people (4,700 in transportation and 7,700 in maintenance titles) and directly operated some 682 route miles of 3’6” (1,067&nbsp;mm) [[Track gauge|gauge]] railways.{{when|date=January 2024}}<ref>Abbott, James (ed.) Jane’s World Railways, 38th Ed., Coulsdon, Surrey, England, 1996.</ref> Three mainlines form a complete circle around the island.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://amonline.trb.org/~searchResults?searchMode=advanced&searchParam-PaperNo=11-1301 |title=Transportation Research Board Compendium of Papers Online Portal: Sea… |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121228074522/http://amonline.trb.org/~searchResults?searchMode=advanced&searchParam-PaperNo=11-1301 |archive-date=28 December 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> TRA's [[West Coast line (Taiwan)|West Coast line]] and Badu-Hualien section feature mostly double-track, electrification, modern colour light and cab signalling, overrun protection, and [[centralized traffic control]] (CTC).<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Taiwan Railways Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications |trans-title=TRA Signalling Equipment Maintenance Inspection Standard Operating Procedures |script-title=zh:交通部台灣鐵路管理局 號誌裝置養護檢查作業程序 |location=Banqiao |year=2003 |url=http://www.railway.gov.tw/admin/upload/kay00/號誌/號誌裝置養護檢查作業程序_公開.doc |format=doc |access-date=February 16, 2010}}</ref> [[South-link line]], east coast Taitung (converted from 762&nbsp;mm gauge), and three “tourist” branches are non-electrified single-track with passing sidings.

=== Corporatization of TRA ===
Because of the several hundred-billions TWD of liabilities, and the legal person type of TRA is considered a block for elasticity operations of railway systems, there were several campaigns and groups set up that aim to take [[privatization]] and [[corporatization]] actions for TRA since 1990s. In May 2022 the [[Legislative Yuan]] approved the ''Act for Establishment of State-owned Taiwan Railway Co., Ltd.'' The legislation provided that TRA will transit to a state-owned railway company, set up a fund to handle debts of TRA, retain its employees, and consider raising salaries by 3~5%.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lu |first=Yifeng |date=27 May 2022 |title=台鐵公司化三讀通過 交通部年底完成16條子法審議 |work=[[UDN Taiwan]] |url=https://udn.com/news/story/7266/6345111 |access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> TRA was incorporated as [[Taiwan Railway Corporation]] on January 1, 2024.<ref>{{cite news|last=Preston|first=Robert|date=2024-01-02|title=TRA becomes Taiwan Railway Corporation|url=https://www.railjournal.com/policy/tra-becomes-taiwan-railway-corporation/|work=[[International Railway Journal]]|access-date= 2024-01-14}}</ref>


==See also==
*[[Taiwan Railway]]
*[[Rail transport in Taiwan]]
*[[Transportation in Taiwan]]
*[[Taiwan High Speed Rail]]
*[[Taipei Railway Workshop]]
*''[[Taiwan Railway Bento]]''

== Notes ==
=== Words in native languages ===
{{Notelist-ur}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last = Davidson |first = James W. |author-link = James W. Davidson |title = The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects : tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions |year = 1903 |publisher = Macmillan  |url = https://archive.org/details/islandofformosap00davi |location = London and New York |ol = 6931635M }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Taiwan Railway Administration}}
*[https://www.railway.gov.tw/ Taiwan Railways Administration]
*Useful, user-friendly English website, including routes and schedules: [http://service.tra.gov.tw/en/ Taiwan Railways Administration (English website)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080427073143/http://service.tra.gov.tw/en/ |date=27 April 2008 }}

{{Taiwan Rail Transport}}
{{Transport in Taiwan}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Taiwan Railways Administration| ]]
[[Category:Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan)]]
[[Category:Government agencies disestablished in 2023]]
[[Category:Railway companies of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1948]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 2023]]
[[Category:1948 establishments in Taiwan]]
[[Category:2023 disestablishments in Taiwan]]
[[Category:Government-owned railway companies]]