Alishan Forest Railway to Resume Service Tomorrow

June 26, 2018 Phillip Charlier 4 Comments Alishan, Taiwan Railway Administration

Taiwan Railways Administration(TRA) Alishan Forest Railway Management Office announced today that normal services on the Alishan Railway would resume tomorrow, June 27, after improvements to the track and rolling stock have been completed. Services were suspended on the mountain line March 12, after a series of four derailment accidents in January and February this year. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications Railway Bureau conducted preliminary inspections on June 14, and the improvement program was completed June 25. Trial operations began

Aviation Travel and Tourism

May 2, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment direct flights, Hanoi, Taichung, Vietjet Air, vietnam

From June 22, Vietjet Air will offer direct flights between Taichung and Hanoi 5 times per week, the company announced today. The new route is designed to meet increasing demand from travelers, and promote trade and regional integration, the company said. Flights will operate daily except Tuesdays and Thursdays, departing Taichung at 5.30pm and arriving in Hanoi at 7:20pm. Flights from Hanoi will depart at 1:00pm and arrive in Taichung at 4:30pm. The Hanoi-Taichung route is the 7th route between

Travel and Tourism

April 10, 2018April 10, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cruise ship, Norwegian Jewel, Port of Kaohsiung

The cruise ship Norwegian Jewel berthed at the Port of Kaohsiung this morning, bringing 2,248 mostly European and American travelers to visit southern Taiwan. Around 1,000 of the visitors boarded buses to visit sights in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung. Others traveled independently around the port city. The passengers boarded the ship at Yokohama Japan, and visited Naha, Ishigaki-jima, and the Port of Keelung, before arriving in Kaohsiung. The ship will depart Kaohsiung for Hong Kong at 6:00pm this evening. Norwegian

Aviation Travel and Tourism

April 2, 2018April 2, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Japan, Mandarin Airlines, Taichung

Mandarin Airlines announced today that daily flights from Taichung International Airport to Tokyo’s Narita Airport will be launched June 14. The new route means that residents in central Taiwan will not have to travel to Taipei Taoyuan International Airport for flights to Tokyo. The Taichung-Tokyo flight AE266 will take off daily at 7:30am Taiwan time and reach Tokyo at 12:00 noon Japan time: a flying time of 3 hours and 30 minutes. The return flight will depart Tokyo Narita at

Aviation Travel and Tourism

February 22, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Air New Zealand, direct flights, Taoyuan International Airport

Air New Zealand said it will fly up to 5 times per week direct between Auckland and Taipei Taoyuan International Airport starting in November 2018. The 11 hour flight NZ77 will depart Auckland at 10:35am and arrive in Taiwan at 4:50pm local time. Flight NZ78 will depart Taipei at 6:30pm, arriving in Auckland at 10:20am the following day. The route will be flown by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Air New Zealand briefly flew direct to Taipei in the winter of

Travel and Tourism

December 30, 2017December 30, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment traffic

Some sections of the National Freeway saw speeds reduced to stop and go, while a rockfall on the Suhua Highway saw traffic back up more than 10 kilometers as motorists hit the road for the New Year long weekend. Taiwan High Speed Rail and Taiwan Railways were also strained as passengers crammed onto trains. On National Freeway 1, traffic traveled at 20-40 kph earlier in the morning, but by noon between Tucheng and Longtan, speeds had reduced to a snail-pace

Travel and Tourism

December 11, 2017December 11, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment drink-driving, drunk-driver, Keelung, tour-bus

The driver of a tour bus was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Keelung yesterday. It was the second Sunday in a row to see a tour bus driver arrested for the offence, and is the second offence for the same driver this year. Mr Wang, 55, was driving a family tour group consisting of 30 passengers back to Taichung after an overnight trip to Ilan County, Sunday, December 10. After being pulled over by police while

Travel and Tourism

December 4, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment drink-driving, tour-bus

[Picture: Taipei City Police Department Nangang Branch] The driver of a tour bus carrying a group of tourists from South Korea was arrested yesterday after an alcohol breath test showed a reading of (BrAC) 0.32 mg/l (a little over 0.06% BAC). Shortly after 10:00am yesterday in Nangang District, New Taipei City, a sharp-eyed police officer on a routine patrol spotted the driver and became suspicious of his red flushed face. The officer stopped the bus and questioned the driver. During

Travel and Tourism

November 26, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Tainan City, taxi

A long-term Japanese resident in Tainan city felt embarrassed yesterday, after a taxi he hired for his two Japanese guests sped through narrow downtown streets and ran red lights. The taxi driver then attempted to overcharge his clients, claiming status as an expert driver. Nozaki Takao, owner of the Mr Ramen chain of restaurants, took his guests to a night-market in Tainan City last night, then hailed a taxi to take his guests back to their hotel. The taxi driver

a tour coach catches fire in Ilan County

Travel and Tourism

November 11, 2017November 11, 2017 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment bus-accident, coach fire, Ilan County

A bus carrying students and teachers from Malaysia and Singapore erupted into flames shortly after the passengers disembarked from the vehicle in Ilan County last night, November 10. Shortly before 9:00pm, Friday evening, the tour bus carrying 32 passengers who had just visited a tourist farm got stuck after attempting to negotiate a 90 degree turn at an intersection of two narrow mountain roadways. With a back wheel stuck in a ditch, the driver stepped on the throttle in an

Travel and Tourism

August 15, 2017August 15, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment aviation, china-airlines, emergency landing

A China Airlines flight from Hiroshima to Taipei made an emergency landing at Fukuoka Airport this morning after a warning light indicated a problem with one of the engines. The China Airlines Boeing B738, flight 113, was carrying 134 passengers at an altitude of 9100 meters when the warning light for the right-hand side engine came on at around 9:45am. The pilot contacted the control tower at Fukuoka Airport and requested to make an emergency landing. Fukuoka Airport closed the

Travel and Tourism

Alishan Forest Railway to Resume Service Tomorrow

Vietjet Air Launches Direct Flights between Taichung and Hanoi

Norwegian Jewel brings 2,248 Visitors to Kaohsiung

Fly Direct Taichung to Tokyo Daily from June

Air New Zealand To Fly Direct Auckland to Taipei from November

Roads and Public Transport Congested on First Day of Long Weekend

Another Tour Bus Driver Arrested for DUI

Tour Bus Driver Arrested for Drink Driving

Japanese Tourists Terrified by Drag Racing, Red Light Burning Taxi Driver

Children and Teachers Evacuate Bus Before it Bursts into Flames

China Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Japan