Construction began yesterday of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit System's Hsinyi line (信義線).
A ground-breaking ceremony, attended by officials of the city government and Taipei City councilors took place at the site of a new station on the rout of the line between Sungchi Road (松智路) intersection and Chuangchin Road (莊敬路).
The new station is scheduled to be completed by the end of September, 2009, according to the city's Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS).
The new station will be named the World Trade Center station. It is close to the World trade Center and the Taipei 101 building.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and DORTS' Director Fan Liang-hsiu (范良鏽) both attended the ground-breaking ceremony as well as the general manager of the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), Richard Chen (陳椿亮) and KMT Legislator Mu Ming-chu (穆閩珠).
According to transportation officials, the MRT station, with a budget of NT$1.6 billion, will be constructed underground with four exits.
The World Trade Center station is among seven stations that will make up the 6.4km long Hsinyi line, said Chang Hui-chen (張慧珍), a public relations official at the department.
"The Hsinyi Line will start from with the existing Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall station," she said. "Aside from the World Trade Center station, other stations [along the Hsinyi line] will include ones near Ta-an Forest Park, Ta-an Road, Anho Road, Dongmen Market with Hsiangshen being the last station."
The Hsinyi line, running along Hsinyi Road, will be the second MRT line designed to run west-east after the Nankang line (南港線).
Although the Executive Yuan approved construction of the line in 1997, it had been delayed due to financial difficulties, Chang said.
The entire budget for the Hsinyi line is estimated at NT$44.5 billion, Chang said.
"In order to accommodate the current on-going construction of the Taipei 101 building, we've decided to push for the construction of the World Trade Center station now to avoid inconvenience to the surrounding traffic due to digging of the area a second time around [after the Taipei 101 building is finished]," she said.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in