Taipei: The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) on Saturday confirmed that Taiwan Railway Corp. (TRC) Chairperson Du Wei has tendered his resignation, citing plans for his personal career.
According to Focus Taiwan, the ministry attempted to persuade Du to reconsider his decision, but he remained firm, stating he had other "personal career plans." Pending the Cabinet's approval of Du's resignation, Deputy Transportation Minister Wu Sheng-yuan will serve as acting chairperson of TRC.
Du, 65, explained in response to CNA's inquiry that after serving at Taiwan Railway for 40 years, he is ready to spend more time with his family. He began his career as an intern at Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) when it was a government agency and was its last director-general. When TRA was corporatized in January 2024, Du was appointed as chairperson.
Shortly before TRA's corporatization, Du noted in an interview with CNA that under his leadership, the company aimed to shed its short-term debts by 2026 and move to profitability by 2028. However, TRC suffered record losses of NT$13.8 billion (US$419.22 million) in 2024, with its on-time performance rate at 93.5 percent, below the expected 97 percent. Du attributed these issues to natural disasters and efforts to comply with government policies.
On Saturday, while confirming rumors of Du's resignation, the MOTC credited him for the initiative to adjust Taiwan Railway fares, approved by the TRC board and an MOTC committee in February. The proposed fare increase, the first in 30 years, has been sent to the Cabinet for approval.