It's finally here: a finalized plan to build a high speed rail station in Eastern Taiwan's Yilan county. The process has taken a long time, mostly due to disagreements over where in the county the station should be located. In addition, politicians wanted to make sure the project had minimal impact on local residents, in terms of relocating homes to accommodate construction.
The location will be 350 meters south of Yilan County Government's complex. In addition, a new train station will be built at the same place to make transfers between traditional train lines and high speed rail more convenient.
Transportation minister Wang Kwo-tsai says this plan has been in the works for over two years. The station's placement decision came after taking expert analysis and the local opinions into account.
This new high speed rail extension will cover almost 60 kilometers and cost about NT$188 billion (US$6.8 billion). Construction will begin in 2025 and the project will be completed in 2036 at the earliest.
Although fifteen years is a long time to wait, making Taiwan's beautiful east coast more accessible is sure to excite people.