New station on Taipei MRT Red Line to open Aug. 30

Taipei, Aug. 20 (CNA) A new station on the southeast end of the Taipei Metro Xinyi Line will open on Aug. 30, extending service 1.4 kilometers past the current terminal station, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said Thursday.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications on Tuesday issued an operating license for the new Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station in the Xinyi District following the required inspections, according to the city government.

When the new station opens on Aug. 30, passengers will be able to travel on the MRT Red Line beyond Xiangshan Station to the Fude Street and Zhongpo South Road area, near Guangci Charity Park and the Four Beasts Mountain.

Construction of the new Guangci/Fengtian Temple station began in 2016, extending the Red Line 1.4 kilometers beneath Section 6 of Xinyi Road, connecting the Xiangshan and Hushan areas.

Chiang said it was "one of the most difficult metro sections" to construct, because the station was built about 10 stories underground, through layers ranging from soft clay near the surface to hard bedrock deeper below.

The new terminus will provide easier access to Guangci Charity Park, a social housing complex that opened in 2022, Songshan High School of Commerce and Home Economics, and Fengtian Temple.

The Taipei MRT Red Line, also known as the Tamsui-Xinyi Line, currently runs 29 km, with 28 stations from Tamsui in New Taipei on the northwest end to Xiangshan in southeast Taipei.