Throngs of officials, led by Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (林陵三), burned incense and prayed for good fortune in a ceremony to mark the breakthrough of the Hsichih Mountain Tunnel in Taipei County yesterday.
"Our construction staff have being working hard for the past four years," said Wu Sheng-kuo (伍勝園), an official from the Railway Reconstruction Bureau, who oversaw the tunnel's construction.
"Over 150 workers drilled and blasted day and night to create the tunnel," Wu said.
The breakthrough of the 1.64km Hsichih Mountain Tunnel was hailed as a milestone in the NT$76.5 billion Nangang Project, which is part of the Railway Reconstruction Bureau's grand plan to bring a portion of Taipei's intercity railway line underground.
A final portions of the 19.4km-long railway stretching from Panchiao to Nangang is still above ground. This passage will also be placed underground. The project will help decrease congestion on Taipei City roads. The project will be an economic boon for suburban Nangang, where Academia Sinica and Nangang Software Park are located. The construction project is scheduled to be completed in 2007.
"Not only will the underground railway remove the eyesore of railway lines and reduce traffic congestion on Taipei City's roads, the project will also promote economic development in Songshan and Nangang," said Lee Huan-ku (
The Hsichih Tunnel, one of two planned dual-track tunnels, begins at the end of Keelung Road in Taipei City and emerges at the Hsichih Interchange of the Second North-South Freeway in Taipei County. During the high-spirited ceremony, Lin reminded the staff that more challenges are at hand. "Three layers of railways will converge at the Nangang train station, including railway, high-speed rail, and MRT cars. We appreciate your hard work, but complacency is not possible," he said.
With the possibility of flooding in the tunnel in mind, the structure was built 1.1m higher than the peak flood level calculated in a 200-year cycle, according to the officials.
"If Hsichih becomes submerged in water, the height will give us enough leeway to send emergency teams down there," said Bureau Deputy Director-General Jeam Shyh-der (簡世德).
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