Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation, Taiwan

Technical Assistance

The construction of the high-speed rail system in Taiwan, undertaken by the THSRC, involved the construction of 340 km of double track railway through difficult and mountainous terrain and almost 170 km of viaducts and approximately 40 km of tunnels. The railway is designed to operate at 300 km/hr. As this was the first high-speed rail project in the country, the necessary expertise was not easily available in Taiwan; therefore, THSRC seconded and recruited high-speed rail experts from around the world. CANARAIL’s mandate was to provide qualified expertise including: Senior Structures Engineers responsible for the design review of bridges and viaducts, and later for construction supervision; High Speed Rail Track Engineers with experience in slab track construction; Station Engineers responsible for the design review and construction supervision of stations; Geotechnical Engineers who provided the supervision of the construction of earthworks and embankments; other experts such as Project Managers, Cost Estimators, Supervisors and Electrification Experts were added according to the needs of the client. CANARAIL is now assisting in start-up operations by providing safety officers, engine drivers, etc.