Elevated Railway Project at the Urban Area of Chiayi

The origin of the project

In the early days, the Taiwan Railway’ s longitudinal railway was the main transportation artery connecting cities. The station area in each metropolitan area has developed into a social and economic center due to the distribu tion of passengers and goods, frequent commercial activities and population gathering. Chiayi urban area is a typical example. With the development of the city and the change of the industrial environment, the urban development of Chiayi City is expanding day by day. However, the rail way running through the urban area has instead become an obstacle to the overall development on both sides of the line. The urban area is obviously divided into east and west districts by the longitudinal railway, and the urban development of the two districts is increasingly unbalanced due to the railway barrier. In order to improve the impact of this barrier and the traffic safety problems caused by the level crossing, the local government and the public are acti vely striving to make this section of the rail way elevated on a viaduct.

Project outline

• Project period: September 2017 to September 2026.
• Project scope: Start from K291+737 of the Taiwan Railway longitudinal line on the north side of Niuchouxi , go south to Jiabei Station (K294+070), Chiayi Station (K296+494) and Tropic of Cancer Station (K300+495) and connect to Chiayi (Shueishang) vehicle base.
• Construction content: The total length of the project route is about 10.9 kilometers, the elevated section is about 7.9 kilometers, 2 elevated stations (Jiabei and Chiayi stations), 1 at grade station (Tropic of cancer station), and a new Shueishang Marshalling Depot.
• Program funding: NT$33.425 billion.
• Project location: Chiayi City and Chiayi County.
• Project schematic diagram:

expected benefit

1. Eliminate development barriers on both sides of the railway line, improve overall land use, and balance urban development.
2. Improve traffic bottlenecks caused by level crossings, eliminate 5 level crossings, and improve railway traffic safety.
3. Eliminate the clutter on both sides of the railway and improve the quality of life of residents along the railway.
4. Optimize the urban landscape along the railway line and enhance the value of land use.