TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taoyuan City Government has plans to expand the city’s proposed Mass Rapid Transit system to include a “Chang Gung line” connecting central Taoyuan to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Guishan District.
On Friday, the Department of Rapid Transit Systems announced a feasibility assessment of the area proposed for the Chang Gung MRT line, saying the city will begin taking bids for labor contracts soon. The proposed line will cover an area of about 13 kilometers and connect to Taoyuan Airport MRT line at station A8.
The Taoyuan MRT system only comprises the Airport MRT line. However, the city has drafted an ambitious plan to expand the system with four additional lines over the next decade.
As of January, construction is underway on the Green MRT main line, which will connect central Taoyuan to the Airport MRT line. The line will connect to the Airport MRT line at Hengshan Station (A16), extend through Taoyuan, and terminate in Bade District, with a future branch planned to meet the Airport MRT at Kengkou (A11).
The Green MRT line is a light metro that will include 29 stations once complete. The first 18 stations, which constitute the above-ground portion of the line, are expected to be completed and begin operations sometime in 2026.
In addition, the city is also currently constructing an MRT station to connect the Airport MRT line to the Taiwan Railways Western Trunk Line at Zhongli Train Station.
According to the press release, on the Chang Gung line one station will be between Wanshou Road and Changshou Road in downtown Taoyuan. The line will extend along Zhongyi Road through Guishan District and connect to the Chang Gung Hospital station on the Airport MRT line.
The line will make transit from Taoyuan to New Taipei’s Linkou District and central Taipei more convenient for commuters. It will provide more convenient access to northern Guishan and Linkou, which have experienced rapid development in recent years.