Planned High-Speed Rail Extension in Eastern Taiwan Splits Opinion

TaiwanPlus News

People are divided over whether plans to add a roughly 60 kilometer extension to Taiwan's high-speed rail line, connecting the eastern county of Yilan, are a good idea. Protesters say the US$7.7 billion project lacks transparency and will have limited benefit, while those that support it argue it will help an underdeveloped part of Taiwan.

Transcript

00:00Protesters gather outside the Environment Ministry to voice concerns about a project

00:08that could bring big changes to Taiwan's rural East Coast, changes they do not want.

00:14The plan is to extend the country's high-speed rail line by about 60 kilometers,

00:19cutting through the mountains to link Taipei and the eastern county of Yilan.

00:23It's meant to ease congestion along the narrow East Coast rail corridor and cut travel times.

00:28The Transportation Ministry envisions a 27-minute trip from Taipei to Yilan,

00:33just five minutes faster than ordinary trains.

00:36But the idea is that passengers headed further down the coast can catch an ordinary train in Yilan

00:41and in some cases shave off nearly an hour of travel time.

00:45Officials have just started Phase 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment,

00:49and for water at least, things are looking good.

00:52The line will completely avoid the catchment area for the important Feizui Reservoir.

00:56But the environment isn't protesters' main concern.

01:00They say the feasibility study was lacking,

01:02and with just one public hearing, there wasn't much chance for citizen input.

01:06They also balk at the roughly 7.7 billion US dollar price tag

01:10for a line that will only cut five minutes off the Taipei Yilan trip.

01:14Some say other positive effects will be limited.

01:24A report that goes along with the plan shows a 55% boost to Yilan's businesses

01:28and a 21% boost to land values, too little in some views.

01:33And there are worries land could be appropriated to build the bridges

01:36and dig the tunnels that will make up 98% of the route.

01:39But supporters of the project are outside the Environment Ministry, too.

01:55Some Yilan politicians are among them.

01:58They say the rail line will help the East Coast

02:00catch up with the more developed rest of Taiwan,

02:03and that the time to build it is now.

02:04The Deputy Transportation Minister also backs the plan,

02:19calling it a way to balance development between regions,

02:22boost local business, and spur population growth.

02:26But the government isn't pushing through the project just yet.

02:29After a day-long meeting,

02:30the committee in charge of the Environmental Impact Assessment

02:33decided it needs more information to move forward,

02:36meaning the controversy over the project won't be over soon.

02:40Howard Zhang and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.

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