Kaohsiung has drafted a plan to construct a third Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit System (KMRT) line in the next eight years, Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Co director Wu Yi-long (吳義隆) said.
The planned line — which will be coded yellow — will help create a “seamless” transport network incorporating the KMRT and light and local railway lines in the city, Wu said on Friday.
He was briefing President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on the project as she inspected the city’s transportation infrastructure.
Wu said the yellow line would run 21.2km through six of the city’s 38 districts. The new line is expected to serve more than 1 million people.
Wu pledged the new line would be built within eight years, adding that the draft has been sent to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications for review.
The KMRT has two lines — red and orange — and a light-rail line that is being constructed.
Opened in 2008, only about 180,000 people use the KMRT per day because of its limited coverage and lack of efficient transfer services. The system had run at a loss until the end of last year, the company said.
To complete the KMRT network, the company proposed construction of the yellow line and an extension of the red line to Luzhu District (路竹) close to Tainan, at a cost of about NT$145.5 billion (US$4.79 billion).
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