THE Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) gave its preliminary approval on March 21 to build the initial 8.9km section of the MRT Blue Line in Tainan, a city in southwestern Taiwan, with a population of around 1.85 million.
Following its approval by the Ministry of Environment on February 23, the Blue Line project was assessed by MOTC, which has now approved the route, system design and estimated construction budget.
The Tainan Bureau of Transportation says that the city government will now review the plans and submit a final proposal to MOTC. This will then in turn be considered by the Executive Yuan, the executive arm of the Taiwanese government.
Construction of the Blue Line is due to start in 2026, with the new metro line expected to open in 2031.
According to Mr Wang Ming-te, director general of Tainan Bureau of Transportation, the Blue Line will traverse the densely-populated Yongkang, East and Rende districts, serving the city’s railway station and technology park.
Work to build the initial phase will include the construction of 10 stations and a rolling stock maintenance facility.
Tainan’s mayor, Mr Huang Wei-che, sees the Blue Line as the cornerstone of the city's future MRT network. He reports that MOTC is planning to hold a review meeting to discuss the future development of the Dark Green, Red and Green lines in Tainan.
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