Taipei Times
Date: Nov 14, 2019
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

The national railway network’s development should not be the job of local officials, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday during an inspection trip to Yilan County with members of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee.

Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) officials had failed to fulfill their duty in the past, approaching railway projects with the wrong mentality, he said.

Lin and the lawmakers were briefed by ministry officials on projects in the county, including elevating Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) tracks, extending the high-speed rail line to the county, connecting the Chiang Wei-shui Freeway (National Freeway No. 5) and the improved Suhua Highway and building a new Nanfangao Bridge (南方澳橋) in Suao Township (蘇澳).

Asked by reporters if the projects were pork-barrel items to court Yilan voters ahead of the Jan. 11 elections., Lin said the MOTC has not just launched transportation projects in Yilan, and he began reviewing the planned around-the-nation public transport network after taking office at the beginning of the year.    [FULL  STORY8]