Voters should treat the upcoming special municipality elections as a referendum on whether to build three new circular MRT lines and up to 80 new stations in the area that will become Sinbei City, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday.
The ambitious transit policy — expected to cost the city upwards of NT$300 billion (US$9.4 billion) — is one of Chu’s most fiercely defended campaign pledges.
Speaking against his opponent’s suggestions that it would be too expensive, he said: “If we don’t build it today, we will regret it tomorrow.”
“There will also be opponents claiming this is too [expensive] or it is an unrealistic plan,” he said. “But with everybody’s determination to finish this MRT construction, we can help change Sinbei City’s future.”
The entire proposal, which was first announced in July, involves the construction of 75km of new track — a threefold increase — over the next ten years, involving a mix of heavy, medium and light capacity rail lines.
A key component of his plan involves connections with the existing MRT network in Taipei City to create three new circular lines that would radiate outward from the city center. Chu expects that up to ten new transfer points would be created as part of the plan, increasing property values and spurring the construction of new development.
His Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) opponent, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), has however claimed the proposal would most likely “not materialize” because of inadequate funding from the central government.
Fighting against allegations that she is against future MRT construction, a sore point of contention in the country’s most populous municipality that has lagged behind in public transit projects, Tsai added that she supported the principle, but wanted to see “more realistic” proposals that would be carried out soon.
“Our stance is very clear — we want the Executive Yuan to give funding for MRT projects as soon as possible. We want Sinbei City residents to be able to enjoy the benefits of public transit soon,” she said.
According to the DPP, Chu spoke vocally against and later rejected three new MRT lines in Ankeng, Sijhih and Sanying in January this year during his previous posting as vice-premier — a claim Chu’s campaign rejects.
“This politician, in order to further his own political means, now manages to speak out in support of something he once opposed,” DPP spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said. “The reason we don’t find his proposal realistic is because of his own delay.”
Sources knowledgeable about Tsai Ing-wen’s upcoming transit plan say she will call for three new MRT lines and accelerate the construction of the first circular line, already being built. For the other two circular systems, she will lobby for funding, but in the meantime would stick with building Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines.
These ideas were rejected by Chu yesterday, who said the bus system was unnecessary because he would coordinate with central government agencies for most of the MRT funding.
“If the public supports [her policy of] Bus Rapid Transit systems as an alternative to MRTs, they should vote for her,” he said. “But if the support the MRT, please vote for Eric Chu.”
In related news, National Chengchi University’s Prediction Market Center yesterday showed that on a scale of NT$0 to NT$100, the likelihood of Tsai winning the Sinbei race was NT$52.9, while the bidding price for Chu was NT$48.3.
Prediction markets are speculative exchanges, with the value of an asset meant to reflect the probability of a future event. Members can tender virtual bids on events, with the bidding price reflecting its probability.
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