Guangci/Fengtian Temple MRT Station opens after challenging construction

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) The Taipei MRT's Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station opened Sunday, improving public transportation in eastern Xinyi District and potentially boosting local development after one of the city's most challenging Metro construction projects, according to authorities.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the 1.4-kilometer extension provides residents with a direct MRT connection to Tamsui without requiring a transfer.

Chiang said the new station will provide an alternative to buses and help ease peak-hour congestion on Fude Street and Xinyi Road.

It will also allow passengers to travel directly to destinations including Taipei 101, Xiangshan, Taipei Main Station, National Taiwan University Hospital, Shilin, Beitou and Tamsui without changing trains, he said.

The project posed major engineering challenges because the station was built beneath Fude Street, which is only 25 meters wide, Taipei's Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) said.

Excavation reached a depth equivalent to about 10 stories, while heavy construction equipment at its closest point was only 60 centimeters from nearby homes, requiring highly precise construction work, DORTS said.

The project also faced unusually difficult geological conditions. The shallow soil, which was once a wetland, was so soft that construction equipment could have sunk into it, DORTS said.

More than 5,000 bags of cement were used to reinforce the ground before construction could proceed, it said.

Deeper underground, workers encountered bedrock that was about four times harder than expected, slowing the tunnel boring machine to a daily advance of just 2.5 meters, DORTS said.

Engineers ultimately adopted a series of modified construction methods to overcome the geological and site constraints and complete the project, it added.

Also on Sunday, large crowds gathered at the station to take the first trains, with many saying the Taipei MRT has played an important role in their lives and that they had come to witness the station's opening.

Among them was 26-year-old railway enthusiast Lin Yang-chun (林暘竣), who lives near Yuanshan Station on the same MRT line. Lin said he had grown up taking the MRT on outings with his grandfather and had long been fascinated and impressed by the engineering behind the system.

Alex, 50, a Canadian who once lived near Fude Street after he arrived in Taiwan, also brought his wife and children to revisit the area.

"I am here to visit the station because I have been waiting 20 years for it to open," he said, adding that he was happy the new extension will give people more options for exploring Taipei.