Two university professors have resigned from a review committee over a government plan to increase the budget for a Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) project in Taoyuan.
On Friday last week, the committee approved a nearly fourfold increase to the budget for the Taoyuan Railway Grade Separation Project from NT$30 billion (US$982.8 million) to more than NT$110 billion.
Chang Sheng-hsiung (張勝雄), a professor in Tamkang University’s transportation department, offered his resignation soon after the committee approved the change, while Sophia Lin (林雪花), a National Chiao Tung University adjunct assistant professor, informed the Railway Bureau about her decision via e-mail.
Photo: CNA
The bureau should not bother inviting her to serve on the committee again, Lin said.
Bureau record showed that she had not attended the past three review meetings.
In an interview with the Chinese-language Apple Daily, Chang said that the project was the first he had reviewed after he joined the committee in 2016.
The city government initially proposed an overpass for the line, but switched to an underground plan, which the committee approved, Chang said.
“When the committee reviewed the project three years ago, I, like any other expert, was polite when I told members that the project still had room for improvement,” he said. “Little did I know that the project would be passed so swiftly.”
“Then I realized that I should have said something more explicit, like: ‘No’ or ‘I object,’” he said, adding that the bureau then spent three years on planning.
However, at the review of the bureau’s plans last week, the budget had skyrocketed, he said, adding that it might even reach NT$120 billion.
The proposal would involve expropriation of private property, does not guarantee return on investment and would delay construction on the Taoyuan Airport MRT Line, Chang said.
Worst of all, the TRA’s financial losses are sure to rise, as the operating costs for an underground line would be 10 times more than what they are currently, he said.
For every NT$100 that the TRA would spend on maintaining the line, it would only get back NT$36 and that situation would last for three decades, he said.
“I regretted not speaking up three years ago and I felt sorry for the people of Taoyuan,” Chang said. “I also felt frustrated by the review process, as committee meetings did nothing but beautify plans.”
“I am resigning with the hope that this would set an example,” he said. “It is painful to see the ministry spend taxpayers’ money this way.”
Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said that Chang does not know Taoyuan and regrets his objection to projects in the city.
The central government is to bear about 75 percent of construction costs and it spent a lot more for similar projects in Taipei and Kaohsiung, Cheng said.
Meanwhile, one of the members reviewing a proposed High Speed Rail (HSR) extension from Kaohsiung to Pingtung City accused the government of failing to follow due process by handing the project to the Executive Yuan without allowing the review committee members to confirm and approve the project first.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Huang Yu-lin (黃玉霖) said that the bureau had compiled the opinions of committee members and government agencies before the meeting on Friday last week and drafted conclusions, which were read and reviewed at the meeting.
Chang did not express any objection to the conclusions, Huang said.
“He gave his resignation verbally and left afterward, but the committee did not process his resignation, because he did now follow proper procedure,” Huang said.
“The committee unanimously approved the HSR project,” he said, adding that the meeting was legitimate, as it met the minimum requirements for number of participants.
The review of the HSR extension was a consultation meeting, in which members did not have a vote on the project, he said.
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