The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) on Thursday approved plans for the Tainan MRT, which is slated to start construction in 2026 and commence operations in 2031.
The ministry’s committee convened to review the initial phase of the Tainan MRT Blue Line — which would connect the city’s railway network and technology park — and approved the MRT system design, cost, route, evacuation planning and other details, the Tainan Bureau of Transportation said, adding that the Tainan City Government would revise the plans and submit a final proposal to the ministry, which it then would submit to the Executive Yuan for further assessment.
The Blue Line would be a cornerstone of the city’s MRT network, with future lines connecting key areas, bolstering Tainan’s status as a technological hub, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said.
Photo courtesy of the Tainan Style Facebook group
It is to span 8.93km and traverse Yongkang (永康), East (東區) and Rende (仁德) districts, featuring 10 stations and a maintenance facility, Bureau Director-General Wang Ming-te (王銘德) said, adding that the project also passed a review by a Ministry of Environment task force on Feb. 23.
He also said that the ministry plans to hold a review meeting to discuss the future development of the Dark Green, Red and Green lines in the city, aiming to enhance Tainan’s MRT infrastructure.
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,