Taiwan's multibillion-NT dollar high-speed rail network will eventually connect with the planned metro mass rapid transit (MRT) systems in the cities of Taichung, Hsinchu, Taoyuan and Tainan, the transport ministry said yesterday.
"We anticipate that this will bring a huge saving in commute time for people around the island," said Liao Ching-lung (
The 300km railway, scheduled for completion in 2005, will take passengers from Keelung in the north to Kaohsiung in the south in an estimated 90 minutes.
Another two-line MRT project is now scheduled to break ground in Kaohsiung this year, but MOTC officials did not say whether this network would be connected with the high-speed rail terminal in the southern port city.
Liao declined to put a timetable on the proposed MRT projects, but said he hoped they would be finished the same time as the rail network.
"Our time frame is not very clear right now. The Cabinet has to decide on a schedule for construction. We can only make suggestions," he said. Liao also declined to speculate as to which network is most likely to open first.
"How quickly the project gets off the ground also depends on private-sector involvement. We are very eager to attract private-sector financing and participation in the project," he said.
Just last week, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC,
The bureau is currently studying proposals for recruiting private-sector partners in the four cities.
A preliminary report on private-sector involvement in the Taichung MRT system will be ready by June, he said.
All four MRT networks, like the high-speed rail system, will be run on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.
Second-round environmental impact assessments have been completed in Taichung and Tainan, while Taoyuan and Hsinchu are still at the preliminary stages.
Final proposals for the four networks are currently under review at the ministry, he said.
"Interactions with local gov-ernments are going very well right now," although land use issues have been the most difficult to settle, he said.
Taoyuan
From Chungli to CKS International Airport
Hsinchu
Plan not yet finalized. First-stage environmental impact assessment finished
Taichung
Blue Line: From Tunghai University to Taichung Railway Station
Red Line: From Wufeng township to Taichung Railway Station
Green Line: From Peitun to Taichung High-Speed Rail Station
Tainan
From the city center to the Tainan Science-Based Industrial Park via Tainan Railway Station
Source: Bureau of Taiwan High-Speed Rail
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS