The Executive Yuan approved a 60.6-kilometer extension of Taiwan’s standard-gauge high-speed rail from Nangang station near Taipei to Yilan on August 6, 2026. The project includes construction of a new station near Yilan County Hall and a depot with maintenance facilities southeast of the new terminus.
The Railway Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation & Communications estimates the extension alone will cost NT$222 billion (€5.95 billion). When factoring in the depot and acquisition of rolling stock, the project budget rises to NT$352.2 billion (€9.44 billion). The expansion aims to relieve congestion on the existing 1,067 mm gauge conventional line spanning
Shulin and Qidu, which currently runs at full capacity.
Planning and evaluation of the extension began in 2019, with the Railway Bureau projecting completion by 2037. Alongside the main extension, a separate project will elevate and rebuild a 15.6-kilometer section of the current railway through central Yilan. This redevelopment will require reconstruction of four stations and the addition of a new interchange connecting conventional and high-speed services.
Taiwan’s Round-Island Rail Network Strategy
This north-eastern extension forms part of Taiwan’s broader plan to develop a high-efficiency round-island rail network designed to promote balanced regional growth along the east coast. Additional rail improvements include ongoing double-tracking of
the conventional line between Hualien and Taitung and upgrades to the South Link line between Fangliao and Taitung. Previously, a 25.9-kilometer southern extension from Zuoying to Kaohsiung main station and onward to Pingtung was approved in December 2020.
