Transportation

The proposed stop is part of the city’s plan to extend railway grade-separation work toward Ciaotou (橋頭) and Daliao (大寮). The broader project is expected to cost more than NT$100 billion and includes two proposed commuter stations: TSMC Station and Ciaotou Qingpu Station (橋頭青埔站).

The Transportation Bureau (高雄市交通局) said traffic controls would be introduced around major tourist sites during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday from June 19 to 21, with large crowds expected at Cijin, Sizihwan, Hamasen, Pier-2, Shoushan Zoo, Fo Guang Shan, Cishan, Meinong, and Dream Mall. During the holiday, tourists with gasoline-powered scooters will be barred from boarding the Gushan-Cijin ferry from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Cijin residents, electric scooter riders, cyclists, and people on official business are exempt from the restriction.

The United Daily News reported that Taichung’s Blue Line has not yet begun main civil construction, but its original budget of NT$161.5 billion is no longer sufficient. The Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Bureau estimates that the project may require nearly NT$100 billion more to complete the 11 underground stations.

According to recent reporting, there are estimates that by 2051, daily passenger volume at the future HSR Pingtung station could exceed 7,000, with peak-hour traffic approaching 900 passengers. Supporters say the project would improve access to Pingtung and support wider development around the future station. But the latest traffic projections show that the benefits of high-speed rail will depend not only on the rail line itself, but also on whether local roads and connecting transport can keep pace.

The proposal argues that after leaving THSR Zuoying Station (高鐵左營站), the line could follow the Provincial Highway 17 (台17線) corridor, reducing land acquisition difficulties while improving commuting access for Cianjhen (前鎮), Siaogang (小港), and Linyuan (林園)…it also called for a new THSR station in the Asia New Bay Area, possibly at the former 205 Arsenal site, saying it could bring high-speed rail into southern Kaohsiung’s core and support 5G AIoT industries and corporate headquarters.

The group said self-driving vehicles are unlikely to replace a city’s main public transportation network, but could improve first- and last-mile connections. It said city agencies would need to coordinate over the next two years on how robotaxis could serve major transit and tourism hubs, including the airport, harbor, rail stations, and visitor destinations.

Unsurprisingly to many who drive to Kenting and back frequently, news reports confirmed that many of the fixed poles along the route were not functional, but decoys used to deter speeding. In fact, across Pingtung County’s roughly 1,500 kilometers of roads, fewer than 40 fixed camera poles have, or had, functional radar units. Traffic police said removing “unreasonable” camera locations has helped cut fixed-camera speeding citations by more than 60 percent in 2025, from more than 100,000 violations to about 40,000 cases. Some might say fewer cameras obviously means fewer citations. Police said the more important measure is that traffic accidents along the same stretch have also decreased.