Ministry defends HSR extension to Yilan amid calls to halt project

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) on Tuesday defended its plan to extend the high-speed rail (HSR) network to Yilan County, issuing a statement that said the project has clear benefits and will continue to be advanced in line with legal procedures.

The statement was issued following public calls to halt the project by several former senior officials, including former Minister without Portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森) and former Transportation Minister Ho Chen Tan (賀陳旦).

According to the Railway Bureau under the MOTC, the proposed extension will run from HSR Nangang Station in Taipei through New Taipei City's Xizhi, Pingxi, Shuangxi and Gongliao districts before entering Yilan's Toucheng Township.

A new HSR station is planned southeast of the Yilan County government complex, with a maintenance depot to be built further south. The route would span about 60.6 kilometers, including roughly 59.6 kilometers of newly constructed track.

The project passed an environmental impact assessment last year and is currently under review by the Executive Yuan. If approved, construction is expected to take about 11 years, the bureau said.

Chang criticized the plan on Sunday, arguing that Yilan is only 40 to 50 kilometers from Taipei by conventional rail and questioning the need to spend around NT$400 billion (US$12.6 billion) on an HSR extension.

Ho Chen has advocated a Taiwan Railways (TR) "direct rail" project to Yilan since the HSR project was first proposed, citing concerns over cost effectiveness and potential negative impacts on existing rail services.

In response, the Railway Bureau said Tuesday both the HSR and TR direct rail options were thoroughly evaluated before the HSR plan was selected and submitted for Cabinet review.

The bureau said the original TR direct rail alignment faced strong opposition because it crossed the Feitsui Reservoir watershed, while rerouting the line via the northeastern coast would offer limited time savings and insufficient benefits.

Capacity constraints on the existing TR network also limit service expansion, and the plan would involve major residential demolitions, the bureau added.

According to the bureau, the HSR extension would cut travel time between Taipei and Yilan from about 90 minutes currently to roughly 28 minutes, while also expanding overall rail capacity to more than three times current levels.

Total project costs are estimated at NT$352.18 billion, accounting for inflation and rising construction costs. A TR direct rail alternative, calculated using the same assumptions, would cost about NT$220 billion, the bureau said.