TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taoyuan City Government held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday to mark the start of construction on the Taoyuan MRT Brown Line.
Initial construction work will include land leveling, demolition of the Jisheng Overpass, and the relocation of trees. Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng (張善政) said the groundbreaking ceremony demonstrates that the project is progressing ahead of schedule, per a press release.
Chang said the new line will serve as a key component of Taoyuan’s urban transportation network. Once completed, travel time between downtown Taoyuan and Huilong in New Taipei City is expected to be reduced to about 18 minutes, creating an important transportation link.
Taoyuan MRT Engineering Bureau Director Liu Ching-feng (劉慶豐) said one of the first steps will be improving pedestrian areas to provide more space before the MRT enters its main construction phase. Without these improvements, pedestrians could be forced to walk on roads during construction, creating additional traffic safety concerns, Liu said.
He added that demolishing the Jisheng Overpass and relocating trees will remove obstacles for future construction and prevent repeated roadwork that could cause further traffic disruptions. Liu said that traffic control and safety as well as environmental protection measures will be implemented throughout the construction period.
According to the Brown Line development schedule, the central government approved a project budget of NT$45.6 billion (US$1.41 billion) in January. Taoyuan City Government completed bidding and awarded the electromechanical systems contract in July and is currently preparing civil engineering contracts for underground and elevated sections, according to UDN.
The Brown Line will span 11.38 kilometers, including 6.1 kilometers of underground track and 5.28 kilometers of elevated track. The line will include eight stations, with five underground stations and three elevated stations.
