Department of Rapid Transit Systems

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je has long been taking heed of the construction of MRT. On February 19, right after the Chinese New Year's holiday, he visited Wanda line Yonghe Yongping Elementary School Station to encourage the onsite staff. He also launched the first set of shield machines and said prayers of blessing for the smooth completion of its excavation. The shield tunnel work for Wanda line Phase I has been in progress continuously in New Taipei City, where the whole project is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2025. The detailed design for Phase II of the same line has been completed, and the work will be contracted out for construction this year.
 
In his speech, Mayor Ko said that of the in-service 152-km Taipei MRT route network, 95.1 km are underground, where a total of 84 shield machines were used for the excavation. Nine shield machines are required for Wanda line Phase I, three of which have been assembled and are up and running at the sites in Taipei, and another one was launched last month at a site in New Taipei City. This time, two shield machines have been assembled for launching, making the total number of shield machines in the Taipei MRT route network 90, which is of great significance in Taipei MRT's history. Mayor Ko also mentioned that there are multiple arduous construction projects at this site, including the overbreak to overcome the 90-degree turn, the removal of a part of the foundation piles of the Shuanghe Bridge that conflict against the route, and the removal of existing sewage pipes. Thus, this is the first shield machine for which a double-fold design and a facility for out-of-machine manual work have been adopted. He believes that the MRT construction team can definitely conquer these challenges by combining excellent construction ability and skills.
 
Taipei City DORTS 2^nd District Project Office stated that Yonghe Yongping Elementary School Station is located in front of Yongping Elementary School, Yonghe District, New Taipei City. This area used to be a landfill site. Thus, along with the progression of construction, sanitation and sealing works were carried out to dispose of a great amount of household rubbish. This measure successfully controlled the spread of odor and sewage water, eliminating concerns among nearby residents and schools, and has won unanimous praise. The office also further mentioned that Yonghe Yongping Elementary School Station is at a unique location of the 40-meter-wide Baosheng Road. In line with the guidance for a green-ecological city, a green building design has been adopted for the station architecture, and it has been built with ventilation and daylighting corridors in order to introduce natural light, as well as greening walls. The exits/entrances are designed as glass boxes with illumination effects and are integrated with Yongping Elementary School's gate, embracing a concept of waves undulation and giving them a look mimicking curves of water ripples. Doing so enables natural light and air to permeate into the station, giving the station a lovely sense of a botanical garden. As a station that can breathe, Yonghe Yongping Elementary School Station's landscape is expected to be comparable to Daan Park Station.
 
DORTS explained that Wanda line Phase I starts from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station and ends at Jincheng Depot in Tucheng, with a total length of 9.5 km. The entire route is underground, consisting of nine stations and one depot. From the commencement of the construction in 2014 until now, more than 50% of the construction has been completed, and the estimated time for substantial completion is in 2025. Phase II of the same line starts from Jincheng Depot and ends at Huilong Station in Xinzhuang, with a total length of 13.3 km. This route consists of 13 stations, two of which are underground, and 11 of which are elevated. At present, the detailed design of Phase II has been completed, and the work is expected to be contracted out for construction this year (2021).
 
DORTS emphasized that following the opening of the Wanda line Phase I, passengers who take this line can transfer to Songshan–Xindian line and Tamsui–Xinyi line at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station. In the future, Phase II of the same line will connect with Xinzhuang line, forming a circular route in service that can release traffic congestion at Huazhong Bridge and Fuzhou Bridge, so as to fulfill the transportation needs of residents in Wanhua District, Zhonghe District, Tucheng District, and Shulin District by providing them with a more convenient transportation service.
 
Check DORTS' website (https://www.dorts.gov.taipei) for further information about the progress of the construction. For the convenience of shield machine fans, Taipei City DORTS 2^nd District Project Office will continuously upload videos about the machines' operations on the website.