Construction of the nation’s first light rail transit (LRT) system is to start today with the demolition of the Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) wharf-side tracks in Greater Kaohsiung, and testing of the new system should start by the end of next year, the Greater Kaohsiung Government said yesterday.
The 22.1km long LRT will be built in two stages. The first 8.7km will pass through Kaohsiung’s Asia New Bay Area and Pier 2 Arts Center to the terminal station in Sizihwan District (西子灣).
The vehicle storage and maintenance bay for the LRT will be built at the crossing of Kaisyuan Road Sec 3 and Sianming Road, taking up about 3 hectares of land, the city government said, adding that the 8.7km stretch would comprise 14 stations, each spaced between 500m and 800m apart.
Photo: Chen Wen-chan, Taipei Times
Spanish construction company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) and Taiwanese company Evergreen Construction Corp will undertake the construction of the LRT system, with initial tests scheduled to start at the end of next year, the city government said.
The Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp said the new system would involve extended construction along Yisin Road and Chenggong Road as the company removes TRA’s railways and underground cables and replaces them with light rail tracks.
The LRT will use CAF’s innovative rapid charge accumulator (ACR) system, which provides energy-saving benefits and allows trams to run without looping between stops, minimizing the visual impact of the rail system on the cityscape, the company said.
The city government asked the two companies to build distinctive LRT trains that would make them a landmark and make the city livelier.
The total cost for building the LRT is estimated at NT$16.5 billion (US$550 million), with the central government providing a subsidy of NT$6.4 billion and the rest to be raised by the local government.
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