The Ministry of Transportation and Communications this week said that it would focus on whether the high-speed rail (HSR) line should be extended to Sicheng (四城) Station in Yilan County or to Yilan Station following a field trip to Yilan on Wednesday.
The ministry plans to extend the line to Yilan in a bid to increase service capacity for passengers heading to the east coast, which is currently limited by several bottlenecked passages.
Prior to Wednesday’s trip, the ministry had considered four possible locations for the terminal station at Yilan’s end. In addition to Sicheng and Yilan stations, the ministry had considered Luodong (羅東) Station and the Yilan County Government Railway Station, which is yet to be built.
Photo: Lin Ching-lun, Taipei Times
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材), Railway Bureau Director-General Wu Sheng-yuan (伍勝園) and Taiwan Railways Administration Director-General Du Wei (杜微) visited Yilan on Wednesday to examine the latter two locations.
In a statement, the ministry said it has ruled them out.
The officials’ trip and the statement were criticized by Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙), who said that the ministry should have informed the county government about the trip in advance.
“We have worked so hard to secure a plan to build the high-speed rail extension to Yilan,” Lin said. “Central and local government officials should form a united front. We also hope that the ministry can quickly finalize details of the rail extension line, as this is the common wish of Yilan County residents.”
“Our position has always been that the high-speed rail should be extended to the Yilan County Government Station,” she said. “In doing so, there would be balanced development in the county’s north, south, east and west.”
“However, we will respect the professional assessments that are conducted by central government officials,” Lin added. “We welcome any decision so long as it is quickly finalized.”
The ministry said in the statement that Sicheng and Yilan stations are to be evaluated for development potential of surrounding properties and the need to relocate local residents.
Consideration would also be given to whether the locations allow for easy transfers among other railway systems or would make integration difficult with an elevated railway track about to be built in Yilan, it added.
The option of Sicheng Station would involve fewer relocations of homes, as it is a developing town, the ministry said.
If the government adopts the zone expropriation method, residents within the town’s designated development area — 472 hectares — could participate in the zoning project as well, the ministry said.
If the line is extended to Yilan Station, the ministry would need to relocate more homes, as businesses surrounding the station are well established, and traffic volume would create difficulties.
The ministry reportedly favors extending to Sicheng Station for its lower cost at an estimated NT$165 billion (US$5.93 billion). The cost of the extension to the Yilan Station is forecast at about NT$176 billion.
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