President 
Lai Ching-te presided over the unveiling of Tainan's new railway station on the evening of September 10 and apologised to households displaced by the city's railway undergrounding project. The project reached the milestone after nearly 10 years of protests, CNA reported. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che and Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai attended the ceremony.
What did Lai tell the displaced households? Lai thanked residents along the line for making way for the project and, addressing households that had opposed demolition, said "I'm sorry." Several of his friends live along the route, strongly opposed the demolitions and joined the protests, he said, but he understood them: they knew the importance of putting the railway underground but could not part with homes that carried their families' feelings. As houses came down, the heartache of those face-to-face talks stayed with him. "I especially want to thank you for making this possible, and I also apologise to you for being unable to save your homes," Lai said.
Why was the railway put underground? The 126-year-old Tainan Station is the city's most important gateway, Lai said, and the railway brought progress and prosperity but also split the city in two, while level crossings hampered traffic and caused many accidents. Residents had wanted the line underground for decades, and after the central government approved the plan he was responsible for carrying it out as Tainan mayor. The work is now complete, and the line is scheduled to open to traffic on October 18.
What does the project include? The undergrounded line runs 8.23 kilometres and adds two underground commuter stations, Linsen and South Tainan, CNA reported. It is set to eliminate nine level crossings, eight underpasses, four overpasses and two railway bridges and culverts. After the first phase opens, the surface tracks will be removed ahead of a second phase and landscaping, with Linsen station due in 2029 and South Tainan in 2030. Signage at Tainan Station will be in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean, a first for any station in Taiwan.
What happens next? The transport ministry will subsidise a 30-metre-wide green boulevard running north-south through Tainan, Lai said, adding that the ministry is planning to put the railway underground in Yongkang and that grade-separation work in Xinshi and Shanhua would continue. The transport minister said 23 traffic junctions along the line would be resolved, and that the old station would become a visual centrepiece serving alongside the new one.
Figures referenced: Lai Ching-te. — JudgeMarket.
