The Executive Yuan has approved a 60.6 km extension of Taiwan’s standard-gauge high speed rail line from Nangang station east of Taipei to Yilan on the island’s northeast coast. The project includes a planned station near Yilan County Hall and a new depot and maintenance facility to be built southeast of the Yilan terminus.
According to the Railway Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation & Communications, the extension alone is estimated to cost NT$222 billion (€5.95 billion). This figure rises to NT$352.2 billion (€9.44 billion) when factoring in the depot and acquisition of rolling stock. Evaluation of the extension began
in 2019, with project completion targeted by 2037.
Capacity Relief and Elevated Railway Section in Yilan
The high speed rail extension aims to relieve congestion on the existing 1,067 mm gauge conventional rail line between Shulin, southwest of Taipei, and Qidu, south of Keelung, which is currently operating at full capacity. In addition, a separate project will elevate a 15.6 km section of the conventional line through central Yilan. This redevelopment includes reconstruction of four stations and the construction of a new interchange connecting to the high speed rail line to reduce surface traffic conflicts.
Integration into Taiwan’s Rail Network Strategy
The Yilan extension is part of Taiwan’s broader initiative to develop a high-efficiency,
round-island rail network. This strategy seeks to support balanced development of the east coast in contrast to the more developed west coast. Complementary projects include double-tracking the 1,067 mm gauge conventional line between Hualien and Taitung and upgrades to the South Link line between Fangliao and Taitung to address double-tracking bottlenecks. Additionally, a separate 25.9 km high speed rail extension from the current southern terminus at Zuoying to Kaohsiung main station and onward to Pingtung was approved in December 2020.
