Transport Ministry approves planning of Taoyuan Metro Brown Line

Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) The Taoyuan Metro Brown Line project, which is aimed at connecting northern Taoyuan and the Greater Taipei area, came one step closer to reality after the Ministry of Transportation and Communications approved its proposed route on Friday, local transport officials said.

The comprehensive planning of the line between the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) Taoyuan Station and Taipei Metro's Huilong station will now be passed to the Cabinet for final review, and once approved, the line will be completed within eight years, according to Taoyuan's Department of Rapid Transit Systems in a statement.

The 7-stop line will reduce travel time between the two terminals to 18 minutes from the current 40 minutes by bus, making commuting between Xinzhuang District in New Taipei, and Taoyuan and Guishan districts in Taoyuan more convenient, the department said.

Officials also pointed out that at the first stop of the 11.38-kilometer line, Taoyuan Station, passengers will be able to transfer to the TRA system and Taoyuan Metro's Green Line, which is currently under construction.

Meanwhile, the final stop of the Brown Line will be Huilong station on Taipei Metro's Zhonghe-Xinlu Line, as well as the Wanda-Zhonghe-Shulin Line which is under construction.

The NT$20 billion (US$653 million) Brown Line project, planning of which was initiated in 2018, is part of the city's six-line rail network vision.