Taiwan High Speed Rail recruits 45 drivers and 80 maintenance staff

台灣高鐵招募45名列車駕駛及80名維修人員

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A week after the arrival of the first new N700ST high-speed train from Japan, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation is recruiting 45 drivers and 80 maintenance staff, reports said Saturday.

The new train has been moved to Kaohsiung’s Yanchao District depot for tests and will start service on July 1, 2027. An additional 11 train sets built by Hitachi Toshiba Supreme Consortium are scheduled to arrive by the end of Sept. 2028.

The need for new staff is also the result of the company having to operate the original 700T and the new trains simultaneously, per Liberty Times. Once the number of services increases, the company will also consider recruiting more frontline service personnel.

Once train drivers have completed their training and obtained their license, they can expect a starting salary of between NT$60,000 (US$1,880) and NT$70,000 per month, the report said. For maintenance staff, the wage structure is more complicated, as it also includes overtime and nighttime bonuses, but newcomers can expect close to NT$50,000 per month. Over the past five years, the company has implemented five wage rises.

Taiwan High Speed Rail is also planning to spend NT$30 billion on a wide range of upgrades. The changes included safety fences on train platforms, new service desks at stations, new interiors for trains, and adjustments to the online ticket purchasing system, Liberty Times reported.

The company also plans a second repair facility near Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung and changes to the Yanchao depot.