Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin arrived at the Taipei City Council for the mayoral interpellation session on November 9. He answered questions from city councilors concerning the Maokong Gondola and the MRT Muzha-Neihu Line.
Hau announced that the city government anticipates reopening the Maokong Gondola by Lunar New Year in 2010 if the four major Taipei City engineers associations give the green light following thorough safety inspections.
The city government is currently working on implementing reinforcement measures suggested by the associations. The mayor said construction works are slated for completion by Lunar New Year.
On the topic of the MRT Muzha-Neihu Line, the mayor stressed that the top priority of the city government is to make passengers feel safe taking the train. The contractor promised that system performance will achieve 99 percent reliability by November.
City Councilor Chen Yung-de raised concerns over the ticket pricing policy for the MRT Neihu Line. He believes that the City’s decision of modifying the original plan of the MRT Neihu Line to make room for the MRT Songshan Airport Station resulted in increased construction cost and longer travel for passengers.
Hau replied that the MRT station at Songshan airport plays an important role by connecting the Neihu Technology Park with the international community. The station will become a vital hub in the future, following the completion of the city’s MRT network and direct flight between Taipei and Shanghai.