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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 NT$210bn infrastructure boost mulled
Planned development site under the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program is pictured near the Taoyuan Airport MRT’s Shanbi Station on Friday. Photo provided by Taoyuan Department of Rapid Transit System
FOCUS ON TRAINS: Plans include electrifying the railway from Hualien to Taitung, extending the Taoyuan MRT, building a subway in Tainan and upgrading TRA systems
By Lee Hsin-fang and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Executive Yuan has proposed spending NT$210.2 billion （US$6.96 billion） over the next two years of the fourth phase of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, primarily focusing on metropolitan public transportation systems.
The phase four project plans, which have yet to be submitted to lawmakers, would propose spending NT$104.4 billion next year and NT$105.8 billion in 2024, the Executive Yuan said.
They include 27 initiatives for trains, high-speed rail and MRT systems, which would be collectively allotted NT$53.8 billion; NT$4.4 billion for urban and rural development; NT$45.1 billion for water infrastructure; and NT$38.2 billion for digital infrastructure.
The projects also include NT$1.4 billion for childcare facilities in a bid to increase the birthrate, NT$1.4 billion for efforts to improve food safety standards and NT$10.2 billion for professional educational training, along with measures aimed at boosting employment.
The biggest spending item for the rail-related projects is a NT$6.9 billion plan to extend the Taoyuan Airport MRT and develop the areas along that transit line, the Executive Yuan said.
The plans include NT$5.5 billion to electrify the double-track railway running from Hualien to Taitung, and NT$5.26 billion to build a subway system in Tainan.
The proposals also include NT$6.2 billion to build underground rail in Taoyuan, and NT$5.89 billion to incorporate digital technology into the Taiwan Railways Administration （TRA） network.
These projects aim to integrate local trains and the high-speed rail into a seamless public transit system while upgrading TRA systems and improving the quality of its services in the country’s eastern region.
The Special Act on the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program （前瞻基礎建設特別條例） was passed by the Legislative Yuan in July 2017 to allow the Cabinet to spend up to NT$840 billion on national infrastructure over eight years.
Phase four projects are funded exclusively through public financing, DGBAS Minister Chu Tzer-ming （朱澤民） said on Friday, adding that NT$70 billion remains from the development program.
Separately, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said its budget for next year is NT$5.7 billion, while another NT$16 billion would be allotted from the infrastructure development program for the ministry to contribute to other government entities.
The funds from the forward-looking program are to cover efforts to upgrade government services, implement infrastructure projects, upgrade industry with digital technology, cultivate talent, close the urban-rural digital gap and help non-profit organizations take advantage of information technology, it said.
The Executive Yuan’s general budget proposal was also finalized on Thursday, in which the Ministry of Culture’s proposed budget for next year is NT$21.22 billion, an increase of 20 percent over this year’s NT$17.76 billion.
The boost to the culture ministry’s budget would be further augmented by the infrastructure program’s funding of NT$2.55 billion next year and NT$2.97 billion in 2024, the ministry said.
The money would be used to promote national languages and traditional arts, preserve cultural heritage, and fund the maintenance and construction of museums, the ministry said.
Its planned public works include improvements to the National Human Rights Museum and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, and building a National Children’s Future Plaza, it added.
Additional reporting by Ling Mei-hsueh and CNA
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, left, and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi ride the Taipei MRT’s Circular Line on a test run on Jan. 31, 2020, ahead of the opening of a new section later that day. Photo: CNA
