TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The first fare hike in 30 years for Taiwan Railway Corporation (TRC) train journeys will be discussed after the Lunar New Year, Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said Thursday (Dec. 12).

The issue featured on the agenda of a company board meeting in September, but members failed to reach a consensus. As a result, there will be no fare hike ahead of the Jan. 25-Feb. 2 Lunar New Year holiday.

Chen said that after the holiday, it should be possible to conduct a rational discussion about the need for a fare hike for the first time in 30 years, the Liberty Times reported. He told the media that when compared to journeys on buses and mass rapid transit trains, TRC train journeys were cheaper for the same distance.

Following the transformation from a government agency to a state-run corporation last year, young and new employees hoped for sustainable development, Chen said. TRC should be a normal company, and revenue was a key element of managing such a company, according to the minister.

Each time fares came up for discussion, there would be a demand to upgrade services before raising ticket prices, Chen said. He pointed out that TRC presented more complex issues than for example, the high-speed rail system, because of the wide variety of train models used, requiring a more varied range of equipment.