The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) yesterday celebrated the breakthrough of the Shanyue Tunnel (山岳隧道) connecting Taipei’s Nangang (南港) district and New Taipei City’s (新北市) Sijhih (汐止) District, which would improve the mass transit service between the metropolitan areas.
Since the high-speed rail began operations in 2006, TRA has planned to improve mass transit service between the nation’s metropolitan areas. To increase the transport capacity, TRA decided to construct a third line of 2.21km between Sike Station and Nangang Station. TRA said the Shanyue Tunnel was the most difficult part of the construction. Though the tunnel is only 0.72km long, it was constructed in a difficult geological area.
The TRA said the tunnel was close to the Keelung River, with a section being built beneath the riverbed of Dakeng Creek (大坑溪). Construction of the tunnel started in September 2010 and did not reach the breakthrough until yesterday.
Photo: CNA
A third rail has already been added in the section between Keelung and Cidu (七堵) stations.
Aside from the construction of a third line between Nangang and Sijhih, the Railway Reconstruction Bureau and TRA are also building a third line between Cidu and Sijhih. These two projects are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. TRA said that the line between Sijhih and Nangang was the most popular section among commuters, adding that the train service would be available every 10 minutes once the third line was in place.
The TRA said that the third line would be available from Keelung to Nangang. The delivery of 296 new commuter train cars will also begin in October, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year. The travel time between Taipei and Keelung will be shortened to 35 minutes.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS