Construction of Taipei-Yilan train route could damage water quality for 15 years (2013/12/27)
Plans to build a shorter train route between Taipei and Yilan are under fire for their potential damage to water quality in northern Taiwan. Two of three proposed plans pass through the Feitsui Reservoir catchment area. According to reservoir operators, if construction takes place, Taipei could face 15 years of dirty water.
People traveling between Taipei and Yilan have several choices. Drivers can take the Beiyi Highway or go through the Hsuehshan Tunnel. Another is spending 65 minutes on a train.
To reduce time spent using this latter option, the Ministry of Transportation wants to build a direct line between the two cities. It has drafted three plans.
The first would take 39 minutes to go between Nangang and Toucheng. The second, at 34 kilometers long, would be even shorter. The third would take 47 minutes to travel from Nangang to Daxi via Shuangxi. The first two options have a speed advantage, but they would pass through the Feitsui Reservoir catchment area.
Reservoir operators say water quality would be damaged during a decade of construction and over another five years of restoration. KMT lawmaker Chi Kuo-tung expressed concern.
Chi Kuo-tung KMT Legislator Are the economic benefits worth everyone drinking polluted water for 15 years? asked Chi. Responsible agencies should conduct a careful analysis.
Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih says the project is in the planning stages and will have to pass environmental assessment. Without approval from regulators, construction won’t begin.
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