The Taipei sections of the MRT’s Circular (Yellow) Line are shovel-ready and await the approval of funding from the central government, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said at a news conference on Thursday following an inspection of a proposed construction site.
The city government has locked in bids for most of the eight planned sections that would link the two terminal stations of the completed portion of the metro line in New Taipei City, Chiang said.
Contracts have been signed to construct four of the six sections in northern areas of Taipei and both southern sections, he said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The municipality overcame steep challenges to award tenders for three sections amid a surge in the cost of raw materials and supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he said.
The city government held numerous conferences and was aggressive in its efforts to convince construction firms to bid for contracts, Chiang said.
Last month, Taipei awarded a contract for part of the proposed line’s much-anticipated eastern portion in Neihu District (內湖), which is expected to ease traffic congestion in the area, he said.
Asked about an ongoing dispute between the Taipei City Government and BES Engineering Corp over damage to the completed portion of the line after an earthquake on April 3, Chiang said that the city is looking for a third party to arbitrate.
BES has refused to pay for repairs following the tremor, saying that former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) voided the warranty by cutting the ribbon on construction before quality control assessments had been completed.
Hopefully, a trusted institution can be found to determine whether the damage was due to the natural disaster or flawed construction, Chiang said.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
RSS