TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hualien County councilors on Friday backed continued review of a long-planned railway elevation project despite county government concerns over costs.
CNA reported that the project would raise about 8.5 kilometers of railway south of Hualien Station to near the Mugua River embankment. It would pass through parts of Hualien City and Jian Township and remove seven level crossings.
The county government sent a feasibility report to the central government in September last year. After reviewing the report, the central government asked the county to obtain approval from the local council before the review could continue.
Hualien County Government Construction Department Director Teng Tzu-yu (鄧子榆) said the proposal was sent to the council mainly to obtain a letter of support. He said the county later found an error in its estimate of how much Hualien would need to pay.
The proposal first said the county might need to pay about NT$5.2 billion (US$160 million). Teng said the estimate was too high because some of the land involved belongs to Taiwan Railways, which could lower the county’s cost, per CTS News.
Several councilors questioned why the county wanted to withdraw the proposal before the meeting. They said the project had been discussed for nearly 10 years and had strong support from local residents.
DPP Councilor Hu Jen-shun (胡仁順), independent Councilor Huang Hsin (黃馨), and independent Councilor Dibus Yilai (顗賚) said the review should continue. They said funding details could be adjusted after the central government approves the final plan.
KMT Councilor Lin Yu-fen (林玉芬) said the central government should provide more funding for the project. She said the central government had earlier promised stronger support and should keep that promise.
Council staff said the county can revise its budget after the Cabinet gives final approval and confirms the funding plan. Any later change to Hualien’s share can be handled through regular county budget procedures.
Teng said after the meeting that the county would not withdraw the proposal because councilors had shown clear support. He said the county would finish revising the feasibility report soon and submit it with the council’s letter of support.
