Taipei, March 15 (CNA) A mass rapid transit (MRT) line linking Xizhi District in New Taipei and Donghu in Taipei moved one step closer to realization Tuesday after the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) approved the route.
Upon approval by the Cabinet, the elevated line will take nine years to complete, answering longstanding calls by Xizhi residents to improve transport links in the area, according to the Department of Rapid Transit Systems of New Taipei City Government.
The line will extend eastward from the existing Donghu MRT Station, which is part of the Taipei MRT system, to the new Xizhi District Office MRT Station, where passengers will be able to transfer to the Taiwan Railways Administration Xizhi Station, the department said.
There will be four stations between the terminus -- Xiashehou, Shehou, Zhangshuwan and Xike -- from west to east, where passengers can also transfer to the TRA and the planned Keelung MRT, construction of which is scheduled to start at the end of 2023 and take 10 years to complete, it said.
The 5.56 kilometer line, with 4.75 km in New Taipei, is expected to cost NT$37.7 billion (US$1.33 billion), said the department, which is responsible for the line's construction.
In the future, the Xizhi-Donghu Line will also extend west from Donghu to Dadaocheng in western Taipei, and that section will be underground, running roughly parallel to Taipei MRT's existing Songshan Line and will be planned by the Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems.
The entire 17.4-km line from Xizhi to Dadaocheng is expected to further integrate transport links in Greater Taipei by connecting Datong, Zhongshan, Songshan and Neihu districts in Taipei and Xizhi District in New Taipei.
