Lu Shiow-yen's 8 Years of Stagnation: MRT Blue Line Main Line Unstarted, Budget Insufficient, Potentially Needing 100 Billion More

Taichung's MRT Blue Line project faces significant budget shortfalls and construction delays, with the main line yet to begin construction eight months before Mayor Lu Shiow-yen's term ends. Despite an approved budget of 161.5 billion NT dollars, only approximately 8.7 billion NT dollars remains after accounting for land costs, the electromechanical bid, and the elevated section's civil engineering bids for eight stations.

Officials estimate that an additional 100 billion NT dollars will be required to complete the 12 underground stations. This projection has raised concerns about further budget increases and potential impacts on the project's timeline. The Director of the MRT Engineering Bureau, Su Rui-wen, stated that a revised plan will be submitted to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to request additional funding.

The project, spanning 24.8 kilometers, is slated for completion in 2034. However, with only seven months left in Lu's tenure, construction on the main line has not commenced. While the electromechanical bid began last June, and land preparation is underway, the civil engineering bid for the elevated section's first phase (BC11), covering three stations, has been re-tendered twice. The bid was increased from 9.9 billion NT dollars to 11.9 billion NT dollars and is currently undergoing its third tender, with results expected by the end of June.

Additionally, the bid for the second phase of the elevated section (BC12), comprising five stations, was launched on June 5, with an estimated budget of 22.6 billion NT dollars and a tender opening in mid-July. Concerns were previously raised when the electromechanical bid's budget surged by 70%, from 35.1 billion NT dollars to 60.8 billion NT dollars, an increase of 25.7 billion NT dollars, which critics suggested might be diverting funds from subsequent Blue Line projects.

Su Rui-wen explained that the 161.5 billion NT dollar budget, after deducting land costs, leaves approximately 104 billion NT dollars for actual construction. After allocating 60.8 billion NT dollars for the electromechanical bid and 34.5 billion NT dollars for the two elevated section bids (covering eight stations), only about 8.7 billion NT dollars remains. This amount is barely sufficient for constructing station B9 in the underground section. The subsequent 11 stations, from B10 near Tunghai University to B20 at Taichung Station, involve complex engineering challenges, including tunneling under highways and high-speed rail lines, necessitating the additional 100 billion NT dollars.