Department of Rapid Transit Systems

With a total length of 49.3km, the vision of the Capital City Circular line is being realized! Taipei City Government has been actively promoting the MRT Circular line east section, which was finally approved by the Executive Yuan on March 29. DORTS stated that the east section connects with four other MRT lines and will not only have the capability of alleviating traffic bottlenecks of Neihu Technology Park, but also share approximately 15% of the maximum inter-station traffic volume with the Wenhu line. After construction is completed and it is opened for operations, the travel time from Xiangshan Station to Neihu Technology Park will be reduced from 32 minutes to 14 minutes, and the travel time from Shilin Station to Neihu Technology Park will be reduced from 39 minutes to 12 minutes. This will drastically shorten overall commute times in the Taipei Metropolitan Area and drive the development of areas along the route. 

Taipei DORTS stated that the Circular line east section has a total length of 13.25km, and at a total cost of NT$102.486 billion, a total of ten underground stations will be constructed. Construction is expected to be completed in nine and a half years, and a steel wheel medium-capacity system will be utilized which is compatible with the Circular line Phase I system. 

DORTS explained that the Circular line east section begins from the rear tail track of Circular line north section at Jiannan Road Station. After crossing Jingye 3^rd Road and running along Lequn 2^nd Road, it turns on Ruiguang Road and after Ruiguang Social Housing, it turns west into Lane 321 Yangguang Street. After crossing Highway 1, it enters Jiuzong Road and passes the Chengmei Bridge and runs from Nangang Road to the Songshang-Xindian line at Songshan Station (Taiwan Railways Songshan Station). Next it crosses Songshan Road and intersects with the Bannan line at Yongchun Station, and after following Songde Road, it then turns into Lane 168 Songde Road, and after passing Xingya Junior High School and Bo Ai Elementary School, it turns onto Songren Road and reaches the Tamsui-Xinyi line at Xiangshan Station. The line continues south through Highway 3 Jia Wanfang Interchange and crosses the Jingmei River to the bottom of Xinguang Road and connects with Circular line south section at Taipei Zoo Station.

DORTS pointed out that after construction of the Circular line east section has been completed, together with the Circular line north section & south section, which is currently under construction, and Circular line Phase I, which is already in operation, there will be a total of 14 stations at which interchanges can be made with the MRT, light rail, Taiwan Railways, and Taiwan High Speed Rail; furthermore, it will connect with 16 radiating MRT routes in a series. In ten years, with addition of the ring-shaped network and the Xinyi eastern extension and the Wanda line, which are currently under construction, it will be possible for the Taipei Metropolitan MRT network to reach over 210.4km and 182 stations. This will dramatically increase the efficiency of transportation in Taipei City and New Taipei City. DORTS expressed their gratitude to the Executive Yuan and MOTC for supporting construction planning of the Circular line east section; moreover, DORTS will follow the instructions of the Executive Yuan to refine scheduling management and control of the east section, minimize construction time, and provide MRT services as soon as possible.

Taipei DORTS further elaborated that the Circular line east section was reviewed and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency in July 2022, and in September of the same year urban planning revisions were approved by the Ministry of the Interior. DORTS stated that in order to accelerate the promotion of the east section, the EMS was included in the Circular line north section & south section electromechanical contract by means of expansion. Following approval by the Executive Yuan on March 29, tasks related to detailed design, land acquisition, and construction contracting will officially commence.

DORTS emphasized that in order to provide city residents with high-quality and convenient transportation services, underground connecting corridors will be planned and set up for mutual interchanges between the Circular line east section and Songshan-Xindian line at Songshan Station, Bannan line at Yongchun Station, and Tamsui-Xinyi line at Xiangshan Station.

With over 10 billion passenger trips, Taipei MRT has been repeatedly rated as the world's most reliable MRT system. DORTS, which is responsible for construction, emphasized that they not only seek to build a smart MRT, but that they also hope to construct the MRT in a smart manner. The Circular line east section must pass beneath the Taiwan Railways tunnel and also pass beneath existing MRT stations, which is considerably difficult. DORTS explained that although there is a set construction period for the project, they will make efforts to shorten the administrative review process to enable construction to commence within two years. DORTS also stated that during the design phase of the east section, a comprehensive maintenance plan will be developed and refined in order to mitigate influence on traffic in Neihu.

DORTS also pointed out that in order to meet the future development requirements of the eastern corridor of Taipei City, they will cooperate with development concepts of Nangang and Neihu industries during the construction of the eastern corridor MRT system which will improve traffic in Neihu Technology Park. In addition, they will also develop with the concept of the greater eastern district to connect leisure and entertainment in Dazhi with financial business in Xinyi in cooperation with the Neihu 2.0 project to enable advantageous industries to reap the full benefits of agglomeration, mutual support of regional functionality, and improved industrial development synergy.