The Taoyuan Department of Rapid Transit Systems broke ground yesterday on the Green Line of the Taoyuan Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network, scheduled to start running in 2026 extending the Airport MRT, also known as the purple line.
According to the department, the new line would be 27.8km long, with stops at 21 stations — 10 underground and 11 elevated.
The budget for the line totals NT$98.2 billion (US$3.17 billion), with the city paying NT$39.7 billion and the central government footing the remainder, according to the department.
Photo: CNA
Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) presided over the groundbreaking ceremony, which was attended by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
Su praised Cheng for his persistence in seeking funding from the central government for the MRT system, and said that without a convenient transportation connection, it would be difficult for the city to further develop.
The department said the new line would run through Bade (八德) and Lujhu (蘆竹) districts in a north-south network and connect two stations on the Airport MRT — Kengkou (坑口, the A11 Station) and Hengshan (橫山, the A16 Station) once construction is completed.
The green line was named the “Aerotropolis line” because it would pass through the ambitious airport city project and connect to Taipei through the Airport MRT line, which connects Taipei Main Station with Taoyuan.
In addition to the Taoyuan MRT connection, the new line is also expected to link the unfinished Sanying line of the Taipei MRT to the Sansia (三峽) and Yingge (鶯歌) districts of New Taipei City.
The Sanying line, now under construction. is scheduled to start in 2023, so the green line would connect the city to Taipei and New Taipei City.
Taoyuan, home to factories and industrial parks, has in recent years attracted Taipei workers seeking more affordable housing.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated