Sun, Mar 21, 2021 page6

• Improving Taichung’s MRT plan

  • By Thomas Liou 劉曜華
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  The launch of the Green Line of Taichung’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) railway, originally scheduled to start trial runs on Nov. 19 last year and commercial operations on Dec. 10, was delayed for more than 100 days due to malfunctioning couplings. The Taichung City Government finally announced on Wednesday last week that trial runs and the official launch would be rescheduled for Thursday next week and April 25 respectively.

  The opening of the 18 stations along the Green Line mark a new era for the Taichung MRT, but here are three suggestions:

  First, the Red Line, not the Green Line, was the first MRT line in the Taichung metropolitan area. The Taichung City Government has belittled itself by saying that the Green Line is its first MRT line.

  The Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) elevated Taichung Mountain Line, which is commonly known as the Red Line and was launched at the end of 2016, is also part of the Taichung MRT system. Its elevation eliminated ground-level obstacles between the five original stations. At the end of 2018, five new commuter stations were added along the line.

  More importantly, the Songzhu (松竹) and Daqing (大慶) stations have space reserved to join the Green Line. The Red and Green lines have basically become a small metro network, effectively connecting Fengyuan (豐原) and Tanzi (潭子) districts, the old city center, the new city center and the Taichung High Speed Rail Station in Wuri District (烏日).

  This is the first MRT network in the Taichung metropolitan area, serving the areas around 28 stations on these lines.

  An “MRT society” will only be realized once an MRT network is formed. The Green Line on its own does not constitute an MRT network.

  Since 2019, the Taichung City Government has done nothing to make the five new stations along the Green Line more lively and fun to attract more passengers. This needs to be improved. Measures to facilitate transfers at the 28 MRT stations should also be reviewed and adjusted, and the changes should be completed within one year on a rolling schedule.

  Second, the construction of the system’s Blue Line should be sped up, and, at the very least, it should be partially opened within five years. How many years should it take to build an MRT line? People in Taichung have had a very bad experience with the Green Line — construction has been going on for more than a decade. By the same token, many people also have a negative attitude toward the Blue Line.

  The Taichung City Government has a responsibility to work all-out to construct the Blue Line. It should set a goal of launching sections of the line within five years, and then seek ways to achieve that goal.

  The Blue Line is actually an important part of the TRA’s Taichung Mountain and Taichung Sea Line (reminiscent of Tokyo’s mini-Yamanote Line). The completion of the Blue Line would not only help connect the Sea Line to Taichung’s urban areas, it would promote redistribution of the population in the Taichung metropolitan area and restrain soaring land and housing prices in the new urban area. The population of Huilaili Borough (惠來里) in Situn District (西屯區) has surpassed that of Central District (中區), which is worrying.

  Conversely, if the Blue Line is delayed by the city government’s decisionmakers for political reasons, or the excuse that there are not sufficient finances, it would undermine the confidence of Taichung residents and construction costs would increase due to the prolonged process. This would give outsiders a reason to look down on Taichung, as it has learned nothing from having taken 12 years to build the Green Line.

  Partially launching the Blue Line within five years might seem like a lot to ask, but it could become the pride of Taichung and turn the city into an “MRT society.” It would be well worth waiting for.

  Third, the city government should include Nantou City’s Zhongxing New Village (中興新村) as a terminal station on the Orange Line, and construction of the Green Line extension should be accelerated. As the core city in central Taiwan, Taichung plays a leading role, and the city government should not be so narrow-minded as to concentrate only on benefiting itself.

  In a region with a population of nearly 5 million, the mass transportation network should be treated as core infrastructure. The core network across Taichung, Changhua City and Nantou should consist of the Orange Line connecting to the Taichung International Airport, and the MRT network with the Blue, Red and Green lines. This is an important infrastructure project in promoting a sustainable central Taiwan.

  As National Chung Hsing University is establishing a new campus in Zhongxing New Village, and with the industrial transformation in northern Changhua, the MRT network should connect the major centers in the region as soon as possible.

  This is what Smart Taichung must do. It also reflects Goal 11 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 — sustainable urban planning. This is something to look forward to.

  Thomas Liou is an associate professor at Feng Chia University’s Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Information.

  Translated by Lin Lee-kai
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