Premier Su Chen-chang conducted an inspection of the Kaohsiung MRT Yellow Line Project today (20th) and officially announced the approval of the comprehensive planning report. The total funding for the project is NT$144.237 billion, of which NT$83.382 billion will be borne by the central government and NT$60.855 billion to be borne by the Kaohsiung City Government. This is also the second MRT line approved by Mayor Chen Chi-mai since taking office. During Premier Su’s inspection, he applauded the Kaohsiung City Government’s team led by Mayor Chen, who has been actively striving for and implementing various major city projects since taking office, such as the Qiaotou Science Park, access roads of the Qiaotou Science Park, the MRT construction, Qianzhen Fish Port and the Asia New Bay Area—5G AIOT. They have fully demonstrated the spirit of getting works done as soon as possible! Su also expressed the hope that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the city government to cooperate fully to carry out the project. After announcing the approval of the Yellow Line Project, Su asked the city government to cooperate with each other in acquiring the land and carrying out the subsequent construction.

Mayor Chen Chi-mai said that the city government actively pushes for the rail line construction of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program—Kaohsiung MRT Yellow Line, which is the first prioritized line to be built in the overall road network assessment of the Kaohsiung MRT system, which can link up four transportation systems, including the MRT Red and Orange Lines, LRT and Taiwan Railways, to form a grid road network in the city. The line runs through the 6 core districts of the city, including Niaosong District, Sanmin District, Linya District, Xinxing District, Fengshan District and Qianzhen District (with a total population of about 1.16 million, accounting for about 41.8% of the total population of Kaohsiung City), with a population of 483,000 people living within 500 meters along the line.

The line passes through 3 universities, 7 high schools and vocational high schools, the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and the Kaohsiung Medical University, which are all important locations in the urban area. The Yellow Line will not only serve the public and create a more convenient mass transit environment in Kaohsiung, but also help reshape the core of Kaohsiung City’s structure. In addition to connecting core areas such as Kaohsiung’s administrative districts and the Asia New Bay Area, it is also the most important link for balanced regional development. The Yellow Line will also be an incentive for the sixth team of the Chinese Professional Baseball League to come to Chengqing Lake. In the future, the development of Chengqing Lake Baseball Field Station will also drive the development of Kaohsiung’s original districts as a county, as well as the close integration with the Asia New Bay Area. With the support of Premier Su of the Executive Yuan, it is officially announced that the comprehensive planning report for the Kaohsiung MRT Yellow Line has been approved. The city government will actively carry out the follow-up design and construction works, aiming to achieve the goal of starting construction by the end of this year.

Since taking office, Mayor Chen Chi-mai has been pushing for Kaohsiung’s development, with the aim of completing four years of administrative works in two years. Not only has the recent investment in the establishment of the Southern Taiwan Science and Technology S Corridor yielded significant results, but Chen has also been actively striving for support from the central government for Kaohsiung’s rail line construction. After the Executive Yuan approved the MRT Yellow Line Project today, significant results have been yielded for the establishment of the Kaohsiung MRT network and the popularization of the mass transit system once again.

Deputy Mayor Lin Chin-jung said that the Kaohsiung MRT Yellow Line is the third underground MRT line in the Kaohsiung metropolitan area after the MRT Red Line and Orange Line, and it has been included in the Executive Yuan’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program and is expected to be completed and opened to traffic by the end of 2028. The Yellow Line will provide the public with better mass rapid transit, improve public transportation services, expand the service range of the metropolitan road network, make public transportation services more convenient and efficient and provide passengers with the most direct services that allow them to transfer easily to take Kaohsiung into a new stage of seamless transportation based on public transit.

On December 20 last year (2021), the review committee of the National Development Council suggested that the Executive Yuan approve the MRT Yellow Line Project. After that, the city government announced that it will not only actively carry out the subsequent design and construction works of the MRT Yellow Line Project, but also take into account the joint development project in the surrounding area. On January 25 this year, the joint development project of the MRT Orange Line O10 Weiwuying Station and the Yellow Line Y18 Station was announced and the location is planned at the old Jianjun bus station next to the Y18 station. In addition to the joint development of the Line Yellow Y18 Station, a LaLaport mall will also be built in the neighboring area, with an investment of NT$ 10 billion by Mitsui Fudosan. The base of the Jianjun bus station is about 18182 square meters. The development project, which will introduce functionalities such as art, work, leisure business and housing, is expected to attract an investment of NT$ 18 billion. The investment promotion event for the development project was held in Taipei on March 14, attracting more than 30 domestic and international companies and nearly 60 people, including companies in life insurance, construction, hotel and creative industries. The event was interactive. This is the first joint development project of the MRT Yellow Line and the second MRT joint development project in Kaohsiung.

Wu Yi-lung, director of the Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, said that the Yellow Line connecting the Asia New Bay Area, the metropolitan core area, Chengqing Lake, Fengshan, Wujia, Qianzhen and other areas, will effectively bring together the economic development of the Asia New Bay Area and create a convenient and dense MRT network. The total length of the line is about 22.91 kilometers, with 23 stations to be set up, and 2 transfer stations will be added each to connect the MRT Red Line, Orange Line, Circular Light Rail and Taiwan Railway, with a total of 19 transfer stations. In the future, Kaohsiung will be the first city in Taiwan to have an airport, harbors, high-speed rail, MRT and LRT in the metropolitan area, leading Kaohsiung towards the development of a convenient and diverse mass transit system. In line with the promotion of economic globalization, free trade zones and subsequent major transportation construction, as well as giving full play to its strong industrial strengths, rich tourism resources of unique mountains and seas, and advantages of Kaohsiung Port and Kaohsiung International Airport, it is expected to create a friendly and livable environment in Kaohsiung and turn it into a base for the New Southbound Policy.

Wu Yi-lung said that the total budget for the MRT Yellow Line Project is NT$ 144.237 billion. In order to minimize the impact on the city government finances, the feasibility of joint development of the land that can be used around the Yellow Line has been actively researched and discussed in the comprehensive planning stage. The joint development project of O10 Weiwuying Station is the first to take into account the announcement of the Yellow Line Project. The base area is about 5,450 square meters, located at Exit 5 of Weiwuying Station and the junction where the Yellow Line Y18 Station will be built. After getting off the interchange of National Freeway 1, it takes only about 5 minutes to drive to the station. There are the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts with a 47-hectare green park on the south side, the Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital on the west side, the designated site of Mitsui LaLaport mall on the southeast side and the Fengshan Administration Center of the Kaohsiung City Government and the Green Corridor of Zhengyi Railway Station on the north side. The area has a good transport network with comprehensive daily services. After the Executive Yuan approved the comprehensive planning report of the MRT Yellow Line Project, the Mass Rapid Transit Bureau has immediately initiated the basic design review and the preparation for the subsequent construction procurement to fully push for the Yellow Line Project and the development in surrounding areas, hoping to meet the quality goals and open to traffic by 2028.