TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) said on Tuesday that work on an MRT line connecting Xizhi to the Donghu metro station will start this month.

Speaking at the New Taipei City Government’s Xizhi office, Hou told borough chiefs that the line is expected to be completed in 2032, per CNA. He said the 5.56-km line will mostly be in New Taipei, with around 0.8 km in Taipei.

Hou said road-widening projects in Xizhi for the line will be finished next year. He said these projects began in 2023, while work to relocate underground pipes and drainage has been completed.

Hou also touted amendments to the Financial Planning Act currently progressing through the legislature that would increase local government funding relative to the central government. He said that once the amendments are passed, the increased funds would be used to “double infrastructure” for citizen welfare without providing specific details.  

Hou told reporters that funding for an additional MRT project connecting Keelung to New Taipei has been submitted to the Cabinet for review. He said bidding for the project would begin after the approval.

The Xizhi to the Brown Line Donghu station project will eventually form part of an MRT line connecting Keelung to Taipei’s Dadaocheng area. The planned system is named the Minsheng MRT Line, or the Sky Blue Line.