Taipei Councilor Proposes High-Capacity Trains for Minsheng-Xizhi Line; MRT Department to Evaluate

CNA, Taipei, 8th — The Taipei City Government is planning the Minsheng-Xizhi MRT line, and the Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) is expected to submit a revised comprehensive plan to the central government, with an estimated start for contract bidding in 2028. Councilor Hsu Shu-hua suggested upgrading the line to high-capacity trains to cope with future passenger traffic, to which DORTS Director-General Cheng Te-fa responded that they would pay attention to the transport capacity. During a transportation department briefing at the Taipei City Council''s regular session this afternoon, officials from the Department of Transportation and DORTS were present for inquiries. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Councilor Hsu Shu-hua raised concerns about the Minsheng-Xizhi line, expressing hope that it would not face the same issues of insufficient capacity as the Wenshan-Neihu (Wenhu) Line. According to the DORTS official website, the Minsheng-Xizhi line is planned to pass through Taipei''s Datong, Zhongshan, Songshan, and Neihu districts, as well as New Taipei City''s Xizhi district, with transfers to the Tamsui-Xinyi Line at Shuanglian Station, the Zhonghe-Xinlu Line, the Wenhu Line, the Eastern Section of the Circular Line, and the TRA Xike Station. Hsu pointed out during her inquiry today that the Wenhu line was initially planned as a medium-capacity system, which later proved insufficient, leading to problems such as aging systems, inadequate capacity, and high failure rates. As the Minsheng-Xizhi line is also planned as a medium-capacity system, she worried it might repeat the Wenhu line''s history. She stated that since the Minsheng-Xizhi line will connect with the Eastern Section of the Circular Line, the completion of the Eastern Section will create a denser MRT network, expecting a surge in passenger numbers. She believes the Minsheng-Xizhi line should be upgraded to a high-capacity system. Cheng Te-fa responded that the target year for the Taipei section of the Minsheng-Xizhi line is 2051, with an initial projection of 11,600 passengers per hour during peak times. Although it will use extended light rail trains, it can reach medium capacity, with each train accommodating 530 people. Regarding the councilor''s concerns about the capacity on the Taipei end, he estimated that with a minimum headway of 2.7 minutes, there would be 22 trains per hour, bringing the total passenger capacity to 12,000. He thanked the councilor for her assistance in coordinating with the Ministry of Transportation regarding the line, stating that transport capacity is the most critical factor for an MRT line''s success and that he would pay special attention to the issues raised. In a previous response to KMT Councilor Chen Ping-fu, Cheng mentioned that the city government had approved the revised comprehensive plan for the Minsheng-Xizhi line at the end of April and sent it to New Taipei City. Once New Taipei confirms, the report can be submitted to the Ministry of Transportation. If all goes smoothly, construction could potentially be contracted out within two years. Hsu also suggested today that the Xinyi Line Eastern Extension could be extended to Academia Sinica. Cheng responded that the priority is the currently planned network, but they would evaluate including the councilor''s suggestion after the report is submitted and approved by the Ministry of Transportation. Additionally, DPP Taipei City Councilor Chen Hsien-wei asked about the connection point for the Shezi Light Rail. Cheng replied that it would adopt a medium-capacity MRT plus light rail system, with a transfer planned at the intersection of Fuguo Road and Chengde Road. In a post-meeting statement, DORTS indicated that this network will be built in two phases. The first phase is preliminarily planned as an ''inverted L'' route using a medium-capacity system, starting from near Tianmu Sports Park along sections like Zhongcheng Road, and connecting with the Tamsui-Xinyi Line. The second phase is planned as a light rail, starting from the intersection of Fuguo Road and Chengde Road, crossing into Shezi Island via the Fuguo Road connecting bridge, and retaining the flexibility to extend to New Taipei City''s Luzhou District via the Lushe Bridge. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 20260508