Nangang Station leading source of emissions: TRC

• By Huang Yi-ching and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

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Taipei Railway Corp (TRC) has disclosed its latest greenhouse gas emissions report, with Nangang Station — not Taipei Railway Station as many assumed — listed as its largest source of emissions.

TRC launched its sustainability program in 2024, establishing a greenhouse gas inventory as the first step toward achieving net zero emissions, it said on Tuesday last week.

The company conducted an initial inventory of 32 major stations, established an emissions management system and obtained carbon-footprint labels for three of its passenger services: the Tze-Chiang Limited Express, the Chu-Kuang Express and local trains.

Travelers walk through Nangang Railway Station in Taipei on April 5, 2022.

Photo: CNA

Last year, TRC expanded the inventory to cover all 613 operating sites, maintenance facilities, offices and ancillary facilities.

Train operations accounted for 75.1 percent of its total carbon emissions, while station operations contributed 15.6 percent, Sustainability Development Section chief Peng Hsien-fu (彭賢富) said.

TRC’s emissions reached 428,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) last year, with train and station operations accounting for about 90 percent of the total, he said.

All five stations with the highest emissions are in the six special municipalities.

Nangang Station ranked first with 6,923.95tCO2e, followed by Taipei Station ranked second with 6,859.48tCO2e, Kaohsiung Station with 5,793.22tCO2e, Banqiao Station with 5,362.84tCO2e and Songshan Station with 4,268.61tCO2e.

Among maintenance facilities, Fugang Maintenance Depot in Taoyuan had the highest emissions at 3,474.97tCO2e, followed by Hsinchu Maintenance Depot at 2,491.51tCO2e, Qidu Maintenance Depot in Keelung at 2,473.9tCO2e, Taipei Maintenance Depot at 1,986.78tCO2e and Kaohsiung Maintenance Depot at 1,814.75tCO2e.

TRC is introducing more energy-efficient trains, regenerative braking systems, smart maintenance and digital management to reduce emissions, Peng said.

The company is also integrating operating and equipment data through its SOPHIA cloud platform to improve energy and equipment management, he said.

From 2019 to last year, TRC issued 55.36 million mobile tickets, reducing emissions by a cumulative 341tCO2e and saving NT$55.36 million (US$1.73 million) in printing costs, Peng said.

TRC has also installed solar power facilities at its stations, maintenance depots and rolling-stock bases. It has leased out 73 sites for solar installations, with a combined capacity of 40.6 megawatts.

The facilities generate about 60.44 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to supply about 16,200 households, it said.

The company has set a target of reducing its carbon emissions by 3 percent by 2028.