Residents Lose Final Appeal for New Environmental Review of Taipei MRT Wanda Line Route Change
Residents and civic groups lost their final appeal concerning a route change for the second phase of the Taipei MRT Wanda Line. The Supreme Administrative Court on May 20 upheld a lower court's decision, ruling that a new environmental impact assessment is not required. The court determined the route modification, which avoids private land expropriation and facilitates passenger transfers, does not increase environmental impact, given that sufficient safety measures are in place.
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- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 19:46
- 🔍 Collected: May 20, 2026 at 20:02 (15 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 20, 2026 at 20:23 (21 min after Collected)
A lawsuit filed by residents and civic groups requesting the revocation of an approved environmental impact difference analysis for the second phase of the Taipei MRT Wanda Line and demanding a new environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been definitively rejected. The plaintiffs argued that a route change, which 'cuts the straight to make a curve,' brings the line too close to an elementary school and residential buildings. The second-instance court today upheld the first-instance ruling, finalizing the case with a judgment against the residents.
The case originates from the Taipei City Government's Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS), the developer of the 'Depot-Huilong' section of the Wanda Line's second phase. Based on detailed engineering designs, certain aspects such as station locations, structural types, quantities of excavated soil, and ancillary facilities differed from the originally approved EIA. Consequently, DORTS submitted a '3rd Environmental Impact Difference Analysis Report for the Wanda-Zhonghe-Shulin Area MRT System.'
On May 25, 2022, the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA, now the Ministry of Environment) resolved to approve the revised difference report. The EPA then issued a formal disposition approving the report on June 10, 2022.
Residents and civic groups contended that the most controversial part of the plan was the 'cutting the straight to make a curve' at the LG11 station section, which enters Jincheng Park. They argued this could subject the nearby elementary school and homes to noise pollution and necessitated a new full EIA.
The Taipei High Administrative Court, in the first instance, determined that the purpose of an EIA is to predict whether the impact of a development on the surrounding environment is manageable, not to control the risks of the engineering project itself. The risk of train derailment caused by changing the track from straight to curved was not a matter to be considered within an EIA.
Furthermore, the court found that after the mass rapid transit system begins operation, noise levels would comply with all relevant control standards, and the sound barrier, at a distance of 6.96 meters from residences, would not significantly affect the landscape.
The first-instance court concluded that the original disposition was not flawed, would not pose an increased threat to the living environment, and had no adverse effect on maintaining environmental quality. Thus, a new EIA was not required, and it ruled against the residents.
Dissatisfied, the residents appealed, and the case was heard by the Supreme Administrative Court.
The second-instance court stated that according to Article 58, Paragraph 2 of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, the development of the 'Depot-Huilong' section of the Wanda Line's second phase must not interfere with the preservation and maintenance of the Zhalongshan Archaeological Site. Therefore, the archaeological survey of the Zhalongshan site, which DORTS began between September and October 2020, should be considered an indispensable part of this development. This necessary investigation and assessment work, aimed at preventing impacts on the archaeological site during construction, is a crucial part of the project's planning and execution. As such, the court deemed that the development had substantially commenced, and there was no situation where DORTS failed to implement the development within three years of the development permit being issued.
Additionally, the modified plan relocates station LG11 into Jincheng Park to avoid expropriating private land and to expedite passenger transfers to the MRT Bannan Line. By using an elevated station design, the area occupied in Jincheng Park is significantly reduced, and the space beneath the station remains available for public use. Although this changes the MRT route from straight to curved, the train speed when entering and exiting station LG11 is approximately 20 km/h, and derailment protection curbs are installed on both sides of the track.
The court also noted that the Wanda Line is equipped with a train monitoring system that automatically reduces speed in curved sections. Furthermore, according to the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system's function, the train will automatically apply an emergency brake if it exceeds the speed limit, preventing any unsafe situations from occurring. Therefore, a new EIA is not required under the enforcement rules of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act.
The case originates from the Taipei City Government's Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS), the developer of the 'Depot-Huilong' section of the Wanda Line's second phase. Based on detailed engineering designs, certain aspects such as station locations, structural types, quantities of excavated soil, and ancillary facilities differed from the originally approved EIA. Consequently, DORTS submitted a '3rd Environmental Impact Difference Analysis Report for the Wanda-Zhonghe-Shulin Area MRT System.'
On May 25, 2022, the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA, now the Ministry of Environment) resolved to approve the revised difference report. The EPA then issued a formal disposition approving the report on June 10, 2022.
Residents and civic groups contended that the most controversial part of the plan was the 'cutting the straight to make a curve' at the LG11 station section, which enters Jincheng Park. They argued this could subject the nearby elementary school and homes to noise pollution and necessitated a new full EIA.
The Taipei High Administrative Court, in the first instance, determined that the purpose of an EIA is to predict whether the impact of a development on the surrounding environment is manageable, not to control the risks of the engineering project itself. The risk of train derailment caused by changing the track from straight to curved was not a matter to be considered within an EIA.
Furthermore, the court found that after the mass rapid transit system begins operation, noise levels would comply with all relevant control standards, and the sound barrier, at a distance of 6.96 meters from residences, would not significantly affect the landscape.
The first-instance court concluded that the original disposition was not flawed, would not pose an increased threat to the living environment, and had no adverse effect on maintaining environmental quality. Thus, a new EIA was not required, and it ruled against the residents.
Dissatisfied, the residents appealed, and the case was heard by the Supreme Administrative Court.
The second-instance court stated that according to Article 58, Paragraph 2 of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, the development of the 'Depot-Huilong' section of the Wanda Line's second phase must not interfere with the preservation and maintenance of the Zhalongshan Archaeological Site. Therefore, the archaeological survey of the Zhalongshan site, which DORTS began between September and October 2020, should be considered an indispensable part of this development. This necessary investigation and assessment work, aimed at preventing impacts on the archaeological site during construction, is a crucial part of the project's planning and execution. As such, the court deemed that the development had substantially commenced, and there was no situation where DORTS failed to implement the development within three years of the development permit being issued.
Additionally, the modified plan relocates station LG11 into Jincheng Park to avoid expropriating private land and to expedite passenger transfers to the MRT Bannan Line. By using an elevated station design, the area occupied in Jincheng Park is significantly reduced, and the space beneath the station remains available for public use. Although this changes the MRT route from straight to curved, the train speed when entering and exiting station LG11 is approximately 20 km/h, and derailment protection curbs are installed on both sides of the track.
The court also noted that the Wanda Line is equipped with a train monitoring system that automatically reduces speed in curved sections. Furthermore, according to the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system's function, the train will automatically apply an emergency brake if it exceeds the speed limit, preventing any unsafe situations from occurring. Therefore, a new EIA is not required under the enforcement rules of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act.