Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday.
The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林).
The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations.
 
                    Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used on the line, which was produced by Paris-based rolling stock manufacturer Alstom SA and assembled in Brazil.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), lawmakers and city officials attended the ceremony and boarded the train.
The train was transported across the Atlantic Ocean and transited through Singapore before arriving in Taipei, Chiang told reporters.
The delivery demonstrates that the two cities are on track to complete the construction of the line on time, he said.
“Taipei will work to have the first phase of the project completed by 2027, a goal that I share with Mayor Hou. The line would facilitate travel from Chiang Kai-shek Hall to Wanhua, Yonghe (永和), Jhonghe, Tucheng and business development along the line,” Chiang said.
When the Wanhua-Jungho section opens, the commute time from Zhonghe Senior High School to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall would be reduced from 38 minutes to 14 minutes, Hou said.
“The line would offer a fast and satisfaction-guaranteed service. It would be an important MRT line connecting Taipei and New Taipei City when it is extended to Shulin and Huilong stations,” Hou said.
The Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said that the first phase of the project would be linked to the Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line), Songshan-Xindian Line (Green Line) and Circular Line (Yellow Line).
Trains operating the line would be fully automated with medium transport capacity, the department said.
Each train would consist of four carriages, with each carriage containing 26 seats. The train capacity would be 700 passengers at a time, it said.

The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading

The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) has been investigating nine shell companies working with Prince Holding Group, and the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is seeking further prosecution of alleged criminals, a source said yesterday. The nine companies and three Taiwanese nationals were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Oct. 14 as Specially Designated Nationals as a result of a US federal court indictment. Prince Holding founder Chen Zhi (陳志) has been charged with fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding’s suspected forced-labor camps in Cambodia, the indictment says. Intelligence shared between Taiwan,

COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,