The Taipei City Government is “hopeful” that Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) can be removed after the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT line is completed, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
“The removal of the Songshan airport would resolve all of Taipei’s problems, so of course we are very hopeful,” Ko said, in response to questions.
He said determining how land from the airport site could be used was a “huge question” because its removal would be the largest change to Taipei’s cityscape over the next 20 years.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
He added that government buildings such as the Presidential Office Building, Executive Yuan and Legislative Yuan could be moved to the former Songshan airport site, joking that any building where there were likely to be protests should be moved to an open space so residents would not be disturbed.
Ko said that while in theory Songshan airport could be removed as soon as the MRT line is completed, it would depend on the progress of the construction of a new terminal and airstrip at Taoyuan airport, adding that the “pressure” was on Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to make it happen.
Ko made his remarks at an inspection of the Taoyuan airport MRT Line’s Taipei terminus accompanied by Cheng.
Cheng said that Taoyuan would hold hearings with residents of the land slated to be used for the construction to expand airport capacity. The city government could begin appropriating land if the construction plans are passed following the conclusion of hearings next April, he said.
Meanwhile, Taipei Department of Rapid Transportation System’s Commissioner Chou Li-liang (周禮良) said that work on the “hardware” of Taipei’s section of the airport MRT line was largely completed, with transfer to the Bureau of High Speed Rail to take place this month.
The Taoyuan section of the airport MRT line is slated for completion by the end of the year.
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