The estimated completion date for the Kaohsiung MRT’s new Yellow Line has been extended to 2034, with operations to begin on some sections two years earlier in 2032, Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Charles Lin (林欽榮) said today.
Lin was answering questions from city councilors, who asked whether the line would be finished by 2028 as originally estimated.
Material prices have pushed up the overall cost of the project 62.8 percent from NT$144 billion to NT$235 billion (US$4.42 billion to US$7.21 billion), Lin said, adding that the central government has agreed to the increased cost.
Photo copied by Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
However, due to the adjustments, the central government has asked for a delayed timeline, he added.
The line is to open in sections, starting with stations Y1 to Y5, then stations Y5 to Y18, he said.
A commuter transit line is a major infrastructure project and cannot be rushed, Lin added.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit Bureau
Of the additional funds needed, the Kaohsiung City Government is only responsible for NT$4.03 billion, he said, adding that it is within the affordable range.
It was earlier announced that Kaohsiung would be responsible for NT$60.82 billion of the original estimated cost of NT$144 billion.
The proposed Yellow Line would connect Kaohsiung’s Red and Orange MRT lines, as well as a light-rail system and a railway station.
It is to pass through Niaosong (鳥松), Sanmin (三民), Lingya (苓雅), Sinsing (新興), Fongshan (鳳山) and Cianjhen (前鎮) districts, and serve 1.16 million people, or about 41.8 percent of the city’s population, the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit Bureau said when the plan was approved in 2022.
Additional reporting by CNA
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Chunghwa Telecom yesterday confirmed that an international undersea cable near Keelung Harbor had been cut by a Chinese ship, the Shunxin-39, a freighter registered in Cameroon. Chunghwa Telecom said the cable had its own backup equipment, and the incident would not affect telecommunications within Taiwan. The CGA said it dispatched a ship under its first fleet after receiving word of the incident and located the Shunxin-39 7 nautical miles (13km) north of Yehliu (野柳) at about 4:40pm on Friday. The CGA demanded that the Shunxin-39 return to seas closer to Keelung Harbor for investigation over the
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
RSS