Vi's Junior Life

RP-argumentation

No matter how perfect a masterpiece is, it would still be criticized and questioned by those who hold opposite opinions against it. Safety is the top problem that people doubt and attack to this new transportation. Many people think the license was permitted too fast and T.H.S.R. Corporation was too rushing for its operation because it had delayed the completing dates. Commoners have the myth that T.H.S.R. is a mixture of European and Japanese systems and question its safety and efficiency of integration. But, according to the interview with the leader of T.H.S.R.C., Nita Ing, from Common Wealth Magazine in 2007, when the mixture and safety problem were asked, her answer never changed. “Safety can never be compromised and there is not the so-called mixture system.” said by Nita with strong confidence. She then explained the reason that the company changed European system into Japanese system in 1999 was due to the consideration of adaptability— the frequent earthquakes in Taiwan are the major consideration (Wu 55). Initially, T.H.S.R.C. selected the European Inter City Express (ICE) system from Germany to form the core system of THSR. Unfortunately, there happened a huge train disaster (Eschede Train Disaster) to ICE in 1998, which caused more than one hundred people died and another hundred were severely injured. Having the consideration of the 921 Earthquake, 1999, T.H.S.R.C. decided to adopt Japan's Shinkansen (新幹線) technology instead of ICE due to its Urgent Earthquake Detection and Alarm System, an earthquake detection system although this decision made the company have to pay NT$ 2.1 billion as the compensation of violating the contract later in 1999 (Taiwan, Wu 53). Thus, the core system of T.H.S.R. now, is adopting Japan’s Shinkansen technology, including 700T train (manufactured by a consortium of Japanese companies which is led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries), mechanic and electric systems are totally from Japan (Taiwan). Moreover, T.H.S.R.C. had signed a contract with Ministry of Transportation & Communication that T.H.S.R. needed to offer the contract of “Independent Verification and Validation” (IV&V) so that it could start operating by the supervision of the third organization. Then, T.H.S.R.C. signed a contract with the independent third supervisor, Lloyd’s Register of Shipping from England, and then passed the inspection and obtained the certification from them (Chang).

posted by Vivi @ 6/12/2007 03:26:00 PM