The Sanying MRT Line, which would connect New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城) with Yingge District (鶯歌) via Sanxia District (三峽), is to open to the public in March next year, the city government said on Wednesday.
The subway line is a 14.29km medium-capacity system with 12 stations designed to cut commute times and boost development in New Taipei City’s southwestern districts, according to the New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems Web site.
According to the department, the new line would strengthen integration across the four northern municipalities of Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems
Department head Lee Cheng-an (李政安) said the Sanying Line is undergoing a series of tests, including factory, installation, dynamic and integration phases.
Noise insulation and reduction measures have progressed, with “substantial completion” expected in December, he said.
New Taipei City Transportation Department Director-General Chung Ming-shih (鍾鳴時) said the city would next month begin planning shuttle connection routes, improved pedestrian walkways, and traffic and parking logistics.
Shuttle connections and improved pedestrian pathways would enable riders to navigate the system more easily, the New Taipei City Government said on Wednesday.
In a report delivered at a New Taipei City Government meeting on Wednesday, the department said it had reopened bidding for the CQ880B contract on the Tucheng-Shulin Line.
The contract covers civil engineering, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work on the Tucheng elevated section, and was reissued after receiving no bids during its previous round on Feb. 27, despite a budget of more than NT$11.8 billion (US$405 million), the department said.
The New Taipei City Government took over the project from the Taipei City Government in April and relaunched the tender following a review.
The Sanying Line was approved by the Cabinet in 2015, and construction began in July 2016.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19