TAIWAN’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) approved plans for Taichung Metro’s 24km Blue Line on January 29. The project will cost $NT 161.51bn ($US 5.17bn), of which the country’s central government has agreed to provide $NT 67.56bn and Taichung’s city government $NT 93.9bn .
The Blue Line will begin at the Port of Taichung and run east through the Shalu and Xitun districts before reaching central Taichung. It will serve 20 stations and incorporate both underground and elevated sections.
Automatic train operation (ATO) at GoA4 is planned, providing capacity for over 12,200 passengers per hour in each direction. However, the ministry admitted that the new line could take a decade to build.
The ministry says that it approved the project on the basis that it is expected to provide a major capacity increase to the city’s public transport network and will encourage balanced development.
The Blue Line will provide interchange with Taichung Metro's existing line, the 16.7km Green Line, that opened briefly in 2020 and then fully in 2021.
Further metro routes are in the pipeline, though it is unclear whether they will ever be developed. The Orange Line, linking Taichung’s airport with the city centre, is at the early planning stage.
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