Will Taipei’s MRT expansion come in on time and on budget?
Cha bu duo
Not a chance
Absolutely! I have full confidence in the authorities and their competence
Screw you and your Taipei-centric survey, I live in the sticks
0voters
Did a quick search, couldn’t find anything already posted on this.
I have only just heard about the planned expansion for the MRT system - it’s huge! I didn’t realise the plan was that ambitious - more than tripling the size of the network.
“Show me the Money”!!! AFAIK this is the issue, otherwise the plans will remain plans.
I can’t imagine life here without it but I’ll be gone by the time the station planned for my street is finished (the not so romantic sounding “Elephant Mountain”): it is under construction - due for completion 2009 according to a sign at the construction site.
[quote=“llama_lout”]“Show me the Money”!!! AFAIK this is the issue, otherwise the plans will remain plans.
I can’t imagine life here without it but I’ll be gone by the time the station planned for my street is finished (the not so romantic sounding “Elephant Mountain”): it is under construction - due for completion 2009 according to a sign at the construction site. [/quote]
According to AIT the budget has been approved for all expanded lines. They do not doubt these things will all come to pass.
The line for the second expansion are already underway.
Yeah, but it’s worth remembering that it took almost ten years to get it up and running. The MRT budget passed and construction began in 1987, and the Mucha line was slated to begin operations in 1991 - but endless subcontracting (“MRT Pie - everyone wants a slice”), tire blowouts, insistence on the unheard-of 90 degree turn, DORTS litigation, etc. conspired to delay opening until 1996. The later lines seemed to open fairly rapidly, though…
Well, the Xinpu line expansion through Banqiao and Tucheng was reported to be ahead of schedule and supposed to have been opened in late 2005. But as of New Years it didn’t make it.
Look for things planned in the next 2 or 3 years to be dont in the next 4 or 5, and things in the next 4 or 5 to be done in the next 7-9.
That’s my prediction, and I don’t even believe in geomancy.
Apparently they have started the Mucha cable car system. I know AWOL is hugely opposed, but the route is on the north face of Maokong which is already developed or open tea fields (not lush forest). The route will go to Zhinan Temple, then down and up to Sanxuan Temple (where you can begin a fantastic 4-5 hike to Ergeshan) and then across to Zhangshan Temple at the back of NCCU university. All these places receive hundreds of visitors a day already and have adequate facilities to handle the crowds. I hope they will ban all traffic on the weekends completely and just have cable car and bus traffic.
I am a little annoyed that Maokong will get more crowded however. I don’t like sharing my hiking. Well, taiwanese are taiwanese and 5 minutes down the trail I’m sure it will be as peaceful and uncrowded as always.
Yes the opening of the Mucha line (which connected places where nobody in particular wanted to go anyway) was a huge desaster but it has to be remembered who built it! Once the whole thing will be finished, Tapei will be Asia’s city with one of the best public transport systems. Hong Kong and Singapore will be distanced by quite a bit.
The city is going a long ways towards providing an alternative to the private automobile. Hopefully people will use it in greater numbers and hopefully the government will start cracking down harder on people for driving vehicles that aren’t tuned up, parking on sidewalks, speeding, failing to give the right of way to pedestrians at controlled intersections…
This city could become “civilized” in one of the most unequivocably positive ways.
The MRT has made such a huge contribution to the quality of life in Taipei that it’s worth every penny spent on it and more.
In fact, it more than pays for itself in innumerable ways, not least by greatly increasing property values and creating centers of commerce around MRT stations.
I have no doubt that all the planned lines will be built and others added to them in due course, though there are sure to be many problems, delays, scandals, accidents, snafus and extra costs along the way.
As one who had to suffer greatly riding my motorbike to and from work along Peixin and Roosevelt Roads throughout the construction of the green line, I felt it was all well worth it once the trains started running. I only wish now that they’d extend the green line beyond Xindian for a few kilometers, and put a station right on my doorstep.
Hello? This is Taiwan. Have no doubt that there will be something huge in the papers about pay-offs or politicians crying on TV about something they messed up on in relation to this project.
Sigh. I guess if I stick around long enough to get my APRC, I may stick around long enough to see this thing completed…or at least functional. It’ll be nice to be able to jaywalk again. And I miss the palm trees that used to be in front of my school before they started working on the Xinyi Line.
I was told a couple of years ago that the extended south MRT blue line will open the same time as the HSR. Now that HSR is so late I wonder about the MRT. I see that Banciao station looks like it is ready for the MRT as is Fucheng station which is the next stop south. I drove further south and found a couple more of the stations (I think there are about 5) are looking fairly complete on the outside. Has anybody heard if this extended blue line will open soon. If so, about when?
