By RK Shih. AI-generated illustration.
KAOHSIUNG — Kaohsiung is targeting 2032 for the opening of the first section of its MRT Yellow Line, potentially bringing rail service to communities between Niaosong and Weiwuying two years before the full network is completed.
A recent project update said the section between Y1 in Niaosong District (鳥松區) and Y18 at Weiwuying (衛武營) is scheduled to open first, with completion of the entire line targeted for 2034.
The update put overall construction progress at 12.76%, slightly ahead of schedule. However, the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit Bureau’s public project pages did not display the same progress figure or the size of the reported lead as of publication.
The officially approved route is 22.91 kilometers long and will include one elevated station, 22 underground stations and a train depot. It will pass through Niaosong, Sanmin (三民), Sinsing (新興), Lingya (苓雅), Fongshan (鳳山) and Cianjhen (前鎮) districts.
The Yellow Line will have a Y-shaped alignment rather than forming a closed loop. It is nevertheless expected to reduce the need for some passengers to travel through central Kaohsiung when transferring between the eastern and southern parts of the city.
The route will connect with Taiwan Railways at Minzu Station and the planned Jhengyi-Chengcing Station. Transfers will also be available to the Orange Line at Sinyi Elementary School and Weiwuying, the Red Line at Sanduo Shopping District and Cianjhen Senior High School, and the light rail at Cruise Terminal Station.
The proposed first section would run from Niaosong through the Chengcing Lake area and eastern Fongshan before connecting with the existing Orange Line at Weiwuying. The remaining branches would provide the later connections to central Kaohsiung, the Asia New Bay Area and southern Cianjhen.
The line is also being used to support development around several stations.
At Y20 in Fongshan, the city has approved the conversion of 4,878 square meters of agricultural land into a transit-development zone. The site could accommodate approximately 12,000 ping of commercial, cultural and recreational space, according to the Mass Rapid Transit Bureau.
At Y15 in the Asia New Bay Area, Hon Hai Precision Industry plans to build its southern Taiwan headquarters as part of a NT$15.9 billion development. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and finish in 2033, according to Reuters.
Although the reported 12.76% completion figure marks progress, passengers would still have to wait approximately six years for the first trains and eight years for the complete system under the current schedule.
