TAIWAN: The Executive Yuan has approved the first 8·4 km section of the Blue Line monorail to be built in Tainan, north of Kaohsiung.
The initial segment would serve 10 elevated stations on two branches. The north-south route would run from Taiwan Railway Corp’s Daqiao station, looping eastwards, and running to Tainan Municipal Cultural Centre and Rende Transfer Station, where a maintenance facility would be located.
Project cost is estimated at NT$32·7bn, with the national government funding NT$19·3bn and the city council covering the rest.
The monorail was selected over other modes to shorten construction time and decrease project cost, the city hall said on October 21.
Kaohsiung metro and light rail operating concessionaire KRTC has been providing consultancy services for the Blue Line’s first section and its future extensions, as well as for the Green and Red Line projects.
The city hall expects to award contracts in separate packages for these future routes, and start construction on them by the end of 2026. Works are scheduled to take six years.
An eight-line monorail network is ultimately planned in the city, which will provide links to the neighbouring city of Kaohsiung. An interchange is envisaged between the Tainan network and the planned northern extension of Kaohsiung’s Red Line metro.
