Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) expressed confidence yesterday that the mass rapid transit (MRT) system’s Neihu Line will be operational by June next year.
The Ministry of Transportation inspection is scheduled for Feb. 18. When work began on the line in May 2002, the completion date was this year, but a number of construction difficulties forced postponements.
While inspecting a test run of the Dahu Park station segment of the line yesterday morning, Hau told reporters that he was proud to announce that the Muzha extension line from Zhongshan Junior High School to Nangang Exhibition Hall will be operational as scheduled on June 30 next year.
Once open, the travel time from Neihu to Taipei Main Station will be 28 minutes, while a trip from Taipei Main Station to Songshan Airport station will take 14 minutes.
The Neihu Line, which has 12 above-ground stations, connects the Zhongshan Junior High School station on the Muzha Line and the blue line that runs east and west across the city.
From west to east, the 12 stations are Songshan Airport, Dazhi, Jiannan Road, Xihu, Gangqian, Wende, Neihu, Dahu Park, Huzhou, Donghu, Nangang Software Park and Nangang Exhibition Hall.
The segments between Songshan Airport and Jiannan and between Neihu and Huzhou have already passed tests, and yesterday’s test from Jiannan to Huchou went well.
Thanks to the expansion of the network, Hau said he expected to see the total transport volume of the system reach 500 million.
As the trains will operate without drivers, the route will be controlled by a command center. Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) Director Tom Chang (常歧德) said that the Neihu-Muzha Line will have a total of 152 trains traveling at more frequent intervals than the Blue Line.
As the systems used for the Muzha line and Neihu Line are different, Tsai Tien-ho (蔡天和), director of the Systemwide Electrical and Mechanical Project Office at DORTS, said that it took a tremendous amount of work to integrate them.
To reduce the inconvenience to residents living in the vicinity of the line, Tsai said most of the test work was conducted at night.
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
DIPLOMACY: It is Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo’s first visit to Taiwan since he took office last year, while Eswatini’s foreign minister is also paying a visit A delegation led by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is to visit President William Lai (賴清德) today. The delegation arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 4:55pm, and was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). It is Arevalo’s first trip to Taiwan since he took office last year, and following the visit, he is to travel to Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Arevalo said at the airport that he is very glad to make the visit to Taiwan, adding that he brings an important message of responsibility
RSS