Taiwan High Speed Rail’s (THSR) Yilan extension project yesterday passed a preliminary environmental impact assessment (EIA), allowing it to proceed to the EIA grand assembly for a final decision after it submits supplementary data.
If completed, it would take passengers only half an hour to travel from THSR’s Taipei station to Yilan County.
The Ministry of Environment’s EIA committee demanded that the Railway Bureau, which made the proposal, to make improvements and clarify some issues.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The bureau should provide more up-to-date information on travel time, train departure rates, and the projected economic benefits the project would bring to the area, the committee said.
The bureau should also highlight measures taken to address wastewater treatment, and establish monitoring systems around the inlets and outlets of wastewater treatment plants, it said.
Furthermore, it should submit plans for natural conservation, especially in the upstream catchment area near Feitsui Reservoir (翡翠水庫), it said.
The bureau must step up plans to grow greenery along the route, and proactively communicate with residents about the projected path of the extension line, it said.
The project, if approved, is expected to take 11 years to complete and would operate on an initial budget of about NT$350 billion (US$12 billion).
It would connect to the existing THSR Nangang station, passing through New Taipei City’s Sijhih (汐止), Pingsi (平溪), Shuangsi (雙溪) and Gongliao (貢寮) districts, take a detour to prevent affecting the catchment areas for the Feitsui Reservoir, then pass through Yilan County’s Toucheng Township (頭城) before stopping at the southeast side of Yilan County Hall.
It would span 60.6km, of which 59.6 km would be newly constructed.
The project is part of the “Four Ninety Minutes” plan mentioned in the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ 2020 white paper, which aims to link eastern and western Taiwan, enabling people to travel to other parts of the country within a day.
Proponents of the project said that the THSR extension into Yilan would help foster local development, while opponents argued that the ubiquity of the THSR system would undermine Taiwan Railway Corp’s niche market in eastern Taiwan.
Democratic Progressive Party Yilan County Councilor Hsieh Tsan-hui (謝燦輝) said that if the THSR line does not proceed, the county would come to regret it.
The project would help connect the county to the capital and is a piece of essential infrastructure, Hsieh said.
Suao Township (蘇澳) Mayor Lee Ming-che (李明哲) said he hoped the THSR would help promote local development and stop an exodus of younger residents.
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