By KHT Staff. Image via KH City Govt.
KAOHSIUNG — Kaohsiung’s procurement of 14 additional light rail trains has moved forward after its latest tender, with the city government confirming that a bid evaluation meeting is planned for late October.
If the remaining procedures proceed smoothly, the city expects to sign a contract by late November and issue a notice authorizing the contractor to begin work, according to Liberty Times.
The city confirmed that qualification bids were opened Oct. 13. The newspaper reported that more than one company had submitted bids, although officials declined to disclose details while the procurement process remains underway.
The roughly NT$6.4 billion project would expand the Kaohsiung Circular Light Rail (高雄環狀輕軌) fleet from its current 24 five-section trains. It also includes additional tracks and equipment to increase train storage capacity.
The procurement has encountered setbacks since it was first advertised in January. Earlier bidding rounds failed to attract enough bidders to proceed, prompting further tender announcements.
Under the reported delivery schedule, the first new train could arrive as early as late 2028, with all 14 targeted to enter service by mid-2029. The expanded fleet is expected to reduce peak service intervals from 10 minutes to six minutes and off-peak intervals from 15 minutes to eight minutes.
The purchase comes as light rail ridership continues to grow. In a September policy report, Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the system carried about 13.33 million passenger trips in 2025 and that the additional trains would increase capacity by roughly 40%.
