TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The eastward extension of the Taipei MRT’s Tamsui-Xinyi Line has been delayed by difficult geographic conditions with completion pushed back to 2025.
According to UDN, tunneling progress is just two meters per day. This is slow going for the planned 1.4 km extension, which has been billed by MRT officials as the most difficult project in the history of Taipei MRT.
Construction progress now stands at just 70% and has overcome difficulties such as a shallow ground layer with high water content, requiring strengthening with cement before excavation. Digging deeper down, hard rock plates were discovered.
Officials are examining a challenging MRT extension project. (Chiang Wan-an Facebook photo)
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) went to inspect the work site on Monday (April 10) noting the extension will promote prosperity in the Fude area and improve the travel to Guangci Boai Park (廣慈博愛園區), a public housing project currently under construction, per Liberty Times.
Chiang said after the extension is complete, citizens will have easier access to Tiger Mountain (虎山) as well as nearby temples, and travel to the Neihu Technology Park can be shortened from 40 minutes to 17 minutes, alleviating rush hour congestion.
A map of the MRT extension project. (Taipei DORTS image)
The eastward extension of the Tamshui-Xinyi Line from Xiangshan Station requires a shield tunnel extending to Yucheng Park with the total cost of the project pegged at NT$9.3 billion (US$305 million).
An underground station, RO1 Guangci-Fengtian Temple Station, will serve as the terminus of the Tamsui-Xinyi line and will include traffic dispatch operations.