Taichung MRT Blue Line Groundbreaking Met with Opposition Criticism Over Delays

The first phase of Taichung's MRT Blue Line, covering a 2.49-kilometer elevated section with three stations, commenced with a groundbreaking ceremony on August 12. Mayor Lu Shiow-yen emphasized future investment to accelerate metro construction.

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The MRT Blue Line has been delayed for too long, and I hope it can be promoted efficiently.

However, the project faces strong criticism from opposition parties. Legislator Ho Hsin-chun noted the Blue Line's significant delays, urging efficiency for this and other planned lines. City Councilor Yang Tien-chung accused Mayor Lu's eight-year tenure of achieving little in rail development, likening the groundbreaking to a "show" without substance and pointing to stalled progress on other vital transport projects.

City Councilor Wang Li-jen further alleged that the Blue Line's plan has been repeatedly altered, costs have nearly tripled, and the construction bid only succeeded after multiple failures. He criticized the administration's use of publicity events to mask perceived governance failures.

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Mayor Lu Shiow-yen's eight years of rail construction have achieved almost nothing, like poisonous oil that only shows off without testing. The groundbreaking ceremony held on the ninth was like a construction show.

The MRT Bureau stated that rising construction and labor costs are pressuring budgets nationwide, citing similar issues with Kaohsiung's Yellow Line. The Taichung Blue Line's detailed design is nearing completion, with costs being recalculated to target a 2034 completion, pending central government subsidies.

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The MRT Blue Line, which the people of the coastal area have been looking forward to, has not only seen its plan delayed during Mayor Lu Shiow-yen's eight years in office, but its route has been changed again and again, and its construction costs have skyrocketed by nearly three times.