The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday approved the allocation of NT$18 billion (US$604.9 million) from the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program’s budget to carry out construction on the second phase of the Taipei MRT system’s Wanda-Shulin (light green) line.
The Executive Yuan in February 2010 approved the two-phase plan and asked Taipei to draw up plans for land development and reallocation of city finances to expedite the process, the ministry said.
As New Taipei City was named a special municipality later that year, failure to arrive at a consensus put the project in limbo until Dec. 8, 2016, when the deputy mayors of Taipei and New Taipei City announced that the project would continue, the ministry said.
The second phase of the line is to connect New Taipei City’s Tucheng (土城), Banciao (板橋), Shulin (樹林) and Sinjhuang (新莊) districts, the ministry said, adding that of its 13.3km, 2.8km are to be underground and 10.5km are to be elevated.
The medium-capacity transit line is to cost NT$55.8 billion, of which the central government is expected to provide NT$18 billion, the ministry said.
The line is expected to satisfy the transit needs of residents in the four districts and would connect with the Orange and Blue lines, the ministry said.
The funding would be given to the New Taipei City Government from next fiscal year to fiscal year 2020, the city government said.
The city government had previously panned the Executive Yuan for the line’s exclusion from the infrastructure program, saying that it was a “deliberate sidelining of New Taipei City.”
Democratic Progressive Party legislators Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧), Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) and Wu Chi-ming (吳琪銘) on Tuesday petitioned Premier William Lai (賴清德) to include the line under the program during its planning phase, the city government said.
Lai, saying he had realized the line’s importance to area residents, ordered the ministry to expedite the eligibility assessment for it to receive program funding, the ministry said.
In response to the apparent policy U-turn, Department of Railways and Highways Director-General Wei Yu (魏瑜) said the ministry’s decision was based on New Taipei City and Taipei arriving at a consensus regarding second-phase planning for the line.
The efforts of the three legislators also helped expedite the process, Wei added.
A formal budget request for the second phase would be forwarded to the Executive Yuan once it is completed, Wei said.
The infrastructure program is to receive NT$882 billion over eight years and is expected to gross NT$1.7 trillion in economic growth, according to Executive Yuan estimates.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
A KFC branch in Kaohsiung may be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,907 and US$6.37 million), after a customer yesterday found an entire AAA battery inside an egg tart, the Kaohsiung Department of Health said today. The customer was about to microwave a box of egg tarts they had bought at the fast-food restaurant’s Nanzih (楠梓) branch when they checked the bottom and saw a dark shadow inside one of them, they said in a Threads post. The customer filmed themself taking the egg tart apart to reveal an entire AAA battery inside, which apparently showed signs of damage. Surveillance footage showed
GROUP EFFORT: The number of inbound travelers rose 11 to 12 percent last month, with a significant increase in tourists from Europe and North America, an official said The government aims to attract 9.4 million visitors this year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday, citing last year’s success in diversifying tourist markets. Taiwan last year drew about 8.57 million international arrivals, 72.3 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels. By contrast, the nation had about 18.94 million outbound tourists last year, surpassing the pre-COVID-19 level of 17.1 million. The estimated tourism revenue deficit was about NT$700.9 billion (US$22.22 billion). Taoyuan International Airport Corp expects more than 160,000 passengers to pass through the nation’s largest airport daily during the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on Saturday. As of Jan. 30, the nation’s average hotel occupancy rate
RSS