Acting Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) yesterday urged newly elected mayors and county commissioners to think twice before canceling projects that are part of the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Program.
Kaohsiung mayor-elect Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and Taichung mayor-elect Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), both from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), last week said that they would reassess some of the projects proposed by their predecessors of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) when they assume office at the end of this month, including a second phase for Kaohsiung’s light rail system and a new circular railway line in Taichung.
The railway line in Taichung is to connect the Taiwan Railways Administration’s Mountain and West Coast lines, which traverse the city.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
DPP legislators Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清) and Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱), and New Power Party Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸) asked Wang how the ministry would react if the mayors-elect insisted on canceling the projects, including those that have begun construction.
“It is not easy for local governments to secure the budget for such projects. It is better to try to overcome the difficulties than to simply cancel the projects,” Wang said.
Local governments should strive to finish projects on which work has already started, Wang said, citing the second-phase light rail system in Kaohsiung.
If some residents are against a surface-level light rail line, it could be made into an underground system, he said.
As for the Taichung railway line, Wang said that Lu had not yet indicated what she would do with the project.
The Taichung City Government has been proposing the line for years, completing complex procedures, Wang said, adding that it would be a real pity if the city were to simply cancel its plans.
The ministry would respect decisions made by the incoming mayors and seek to communicate with them.
It is estimated that the Taichung project would cost NT$96.1 billion (US$3.13 billion), with the national government covering NT$53.3 billion and the municipality paying the construction costs.
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