President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday urged government agencies to make sure everything is in order with the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before it is launched next month to make the 20-year wait worthwhile.
Tsai made the remarks at Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station after riding an MRT train from the A1 stop at Taipei Main Station to the A13 Airport Terminal 2 Station and then continuing on to the high-speed rail station.
“The airport MRT line is the nation’s longest MRT system, spanning three special municipalities. It also connects the international airport with our high-speed rail, standard railway and Taipei MRT systems,” Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
With the airport line to start a trial run tomorrow before its official launch on March 2, Tsai said public transportation will reach a new milestone with the opening of the line, which brings Taoyuan into the MRT era.
The airport line is not only expected to improve travel throughout Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, but also offers the most convenient option yet for people living in other parts of the nation who want to travel abroad, she said.
“The launch of the airport MRT line brings two significant advances. The first is that it would ... provide further impetus for the development of Taoyuan,” Tsai said.
“A more convenient transportation system will change the city’s lifestyle. [Taoyuan] Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) has also announced plans to build more social housing units along the line to help relieve population pressure in the capital,” Tsai said.
The second is that the new line would significantly increase the number of tourists and other travelers using the airport, she said.
The completion of the line is the result of concerted effort by the central and local governments to solve problems and ensure the system’s stability, Tsai said.
“The public has waited 20 years. Let us make the wait worthwhile by making sure all preparatory work is completed,” she said.
Tsai said the new line’s first test would be to see how tourists from around the world evaluate it, as it will show travelers the progress Taiwan has made.
The trial run is to be conducted in two phases. From tomorrow to Feb. 15, the line will be open to groups from government agencies and other organizations with advanced reservations.
From Feb. 16 through March 1, it will be open to the public from 8am to 4pm daily.
Planning for the line began in 1996 and construction in 2006.
ANTI-SHIP CONFIGURATION: The Tuo Chiang-class vessels are to be built for NT$9.7 billion by Lung Teh, a shipyard that previously built four similar corvettes for the navy The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday awarded Lung Teh Shipbuilding (龍德造船) a NT$9.7 billion Co (US$317.57 million) contract to build five Tuo Chiang-class corvettes with anti-ship capabilities, a defense official familiar with the matter said yesterday. The corvettes would carry vertical launchers for four Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) missiles, as well as eight Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) anti-ship missiles, in contrast to ships configured for anti-air warfare, which carry eight HF-2 and four HF-3 missiles, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The anti-ship corvettes would be armed for improved standoff range against surface combatants and carry the latest
‘COINCIDENCE’: The former president should keep in mind local and global response to his actions and abide by the law to safeguard national interests, the MAC said The Presidential Office yesterday confirmed that it has received an application from former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to visit China next week and would be discussing his security detail. “As the travel restrictions on former president Ma have expired, we respect his plan to pay respect to his ancestors in China,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said. “We will review his travel plan and consult concerned agencies to assist him in arranging his security detail.” “We also hope that Ma, as a former commander in chief of Taiwan, acts in a manner that aligns with national interests and does not hurt
‘NOTHING NEW’: China should not use Tsai Ing-wen’s transits through the US as a pretext to step up aggressive activity in the Taiwan Strait, a Washington official said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to stop over in the US on her way to and from Central America next week, but her administration would not confirm a meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Tsai’s delegation is to leave Taipei on Wednesday next week and stop over in New York City, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) told a news conference yesterday. Tsai is then to head to Guatemala on Saturday next week for talks with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and to meet with Taiwanese expatriates, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. On April 3, Tsai is scheduled to travel
Taiwan is to obtain maintenance parts for its AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, after the Republic of China Defense Mission to the US and the American Institute in Taiwan signed a NT$1.44 billion (US$47.1 million) deal that is to be in effect until Sept. 15, 2028. Taiwan operates 29 Apaches. The US is concerned that if China were to blockade Taiwan, it would be impossible to supply the nation with military equipment, natural gas, coal and other items, a military source said on condition of anonymity. The deal seeks to ensure stable supply of maintenance parts for the Apaches to keep them operational
RSS