Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

The groundbreaking ceremony for section contract CF690B of the Circular line north section was held on April 16. The public has been eagerly anticipating the last mile of the Circular line north section, and the groundbreaking ceremony for section contract CF690B, which connects Shilin to Dazhi, was held at the National Palace Museum parking lot in Shilin District. Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-an presided over the ceremony, and VIP guests from all walks of life were invited to pray together.    

Mayor Chiang stated that construction of the Taipei MRT Circular line north & south section is fully underway. Following the completion of construction, the travel time from Jiannan Road Station to New Taipei Industrial Park will be only 28 minutes, and the travel time to Shilin Station will be only 8 minutes. It will effectively improve travel time for people in Taipei and New Taipei City and alleviate traffic congestion in Neihu. In the future, foreign and domestic tourists will also be able to easily reach the National Palace Museum by taking the Circular line.

DORTS First District Project Office (1st DPO), which is responsible for the construction of this section, stated that section contract CF690B has a total length of 4.22 km. Beginning in May 2021, 11 rounds of bidding were held, and finally in December 2024 the contract was awarded to Continental Engineering Corporation and Kajima Corporation Taiwan Branch, for over NT$19 billion.

1st DPO stated that the scope of section contract CF690B runs from Station Y27 (excluded) at the intersection of Yunong Road in Shilin District to Station Y28, which will be established in front of the National Palace Museum on Zhishan Road. It then turns right and passes through Wenjian Mountain to intersect with the Wenhu line at Station Y29 on Beian Road in Dazhi before finally turning to the tail track on Jingye 3rd Road. The section contract includes two underground stations (Y28 and Y29), three sections of shield tunnel, and a section of cut and cover tunnel.

1st DPO pointed out that section contract CF690B will face numerous challenges such as shallow hard bedrock and weak clay layers. The construction has a high level of difficulty, and different types of retaining and tunneling techniques have been selected in accordance with the geological characteristics. Furthermore, there are stormwater pipe culverts and a stormwater box culvert on Zhishan Road, which necessitates the hanging of steel pipes and steel box culverts in the station. In addition, there is a shield tunnel which passes through Wenjian Mountain wherein the construction team will face issues of ground stability in fault rupture zones. Multiple challenges will also need to be solved involving the limited construction space for the diaphragm wall beneath the Jiannan Road Station. Nevertheless, DORTS will spare no effort in overcoming each of these difficulties to complete the Circular line north section.

In his speech Mayor Chiang stated that 30 years after the commencement of the “6 Lines Construction,” Taipei MRT is formally entering the “6 Lines Construction 2.0.” Today’s groundbreaking ceremony not only marks the beginning of construction of this section but also symbolizes that the construction of the north & south section is fully underway! In the future, a compatible medium-capacity system will be adopted for both Circular line Phase I and the north & south section to provide high-efficiency services which enable passengers to take just one train to reach their destinations.

Mayor Chiang specifically pointed out that the most significant feature of this section is its passing by the National Palace Museum. The National Palace Museum houses the world’s leading collection of Asian cultural artifacts and is a must-see attraction for many foreign and domestic travelers; furthermore, it is connected to the station through an underground passageway.  People can take the MRT to the National Palace Museum to view the cultural relics without going into the city center. Following the completion of construction, Circular line north section will promote cultural tourism and commercial development and bring greater economic benefits to the local area.

DORTS also mentioned that this groundbreaking ceremony has made a break with traditional gender stereotypes, and in addition to female ceremonial attendants, male attendants have also been included to demonstrate the gender equality. DORTS is committed to creating an inclusive and friendly environment to enable all citizens to have feelings of equality and respect. In the future DORTS will continue to promote diversity and inclusion measures and make efforts to contribute to sustainable urban development and social progress.