The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday defended its plan to extend the high-speed rail (HSR) network to Yilan County, issuing a statement that said the project has clear benefits and would continue to be advanced in line with legal procedures.
The statement was issued following public calls to halt the project by several former senior officials, including former minister without portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森) and former minister of transportation and communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦).
Photo: Hou Cheng-hsu, Taipei Times
According to the Railway Bureau, the proposed extension would run from HSR Nangang Station in Taipei through New Taipei City's Sijhih (汐止), Pingsi (平溪), Shuangsi (雙溪) and Gongliao (貢寮) districts before entering Yilan County's Toucheng Township (頭城).
A new HSR station is planned southeast of the Yilan County Government complex, with a maintenance depot to be built further south.
The route would span about 60.6km, including about 59.6km of newly constructed track.
The project passed an environmental impact assessment last year and is currently under review by the Executive Yuan.
If approved, construction is expected to take about 11 years, the bureau said.
Chang criticized the plan on Sunday, saying that Yilan is only 40km to 50km from Taipei by conventional rail and questioning the need to spend about NT$400 billion (US$12.63 billion) on an HSR extension.
Hochen has advocated a Taiwan Railway (TR) "direct rail" project to Yilan since the HSR project was first proposed, citing concerns over cost effectiveness and potential negative impacts on existing rail services.
The bureau yesterday said both the HSR and TR direct rail options were thoroughly evaluated before the HSR plan was selected and submitted for Cabinet review.
The bureau said the original TR direct rail alignment faced strong opposition, as it crossed the Feitsui Reservoir (翡翠水庫) watershed, while rerouting the line via the northeastern coast would offer limited time savings and insufficient benefits.
Capacity constraints on the existing TR network also limit service expansion, and the plan would involve major residential demolitions, the bureau added.
The HSR extension would cut travel time between Taipei and Yilan from about 90 minutes currently to about 28 minutes, while also expanding overall rail capacity to more than three times current levels, the bureau said.
Total project costs are estimated at NT$352.18 billion, accounting for inflation and rising construction costs.
A TR direct rail alternative, calculated using the same assumptions, would cost about NT$220 billion, the bureau said.
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