Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight railway services on of track. Passenger traffic in 2018 was 231,267,955.
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.
History
The railway between Keelung and Hsinchu was completed during the Qing era in 1893. In 1895, the Qing Empire ceded Formosa to the Empire of Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War. The line was about in length but in a poor condition when the Japanese arrived. The railway was rebuilt and expanded under the of the Government-General of Taiwan during 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 Communication of the central government and employed around 13,500 people and directly operated some 682 route miles of 3’6” gauge railways. Three mainlines form a complete circle around the island. TRA's West Coast line and Badu-Hualien section feature mostly double-track, electrification, modern colour light and cab signalling, overrun protection, and centralized traffic control. South-link line, east coast Taitung, and three “tourist” branches are non-electrified single-track with passing sidings.