The Cabinet approved a NT$352.1 billion (US$10.9 billion) plan to extend the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) line to Yilan. The extension advances the government’s goal of connecting the THSR across the island, but has been met with criticism from opponents who argue that the project is unnecessary.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) approved the project July 23 after it cleared environmental review last year. The 60.6-kilometer extension is expected to shorten travel time between Taipei and Yilan to less than 30 minutes. It is also part of a plan to create four 90-minute paths linking Taipei, Hualien, Taitung, and Kaohsiung.

The project replaces a long-debated proposal for a direct Taiwan Railways Corporation (TRC) line between Taipei and Yilan. The debate continued for more than two decades due to reasons including environmental concerns and disagreements over potential routes.

Former Transportation Minister Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) and former Minister without Portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森) have opposed the THSR project, describing it as a costly “high-speed rail to nowhere,” and expressing concerns that it would divert resources from the Taiwan Railway.

Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君), head of the Railway Bureau, said the direct TRC proposal faced two major obstacles: limited train capacity on the existing TRC network and extensive construction required around Nangang Station in Taipei. He explained that the new line would have to compete with the existing Yilan one for slots, and that the extension would cause significant disruption and land acquisition issues because Taiwan Railway’s preexisting underground platforms and tunnels at Nangang Station don’t extend to the ground level.

The THSR system already has extension tracks beyond Nangang Station that can be built upon with minimal disruption, Yang explained. He said the extension will strengthen transportation infrastructure in eastern Taiwan, provide an alternative to the Taiwan Railways, and help ease congestion on the freeway.