The Green Line is a future rapid transit line in Taichungoperated by the Taichung Metro. With its construction completed in 2016, it is currently in its testing phase, and is planned to open in 2020. Two extensions, one heading east and the other reaching south into Changhua, are also planned.
There are two planned extensions to the line. The first, known as the Dakeng Extension, branches east from Jioushe metro station and runs along Songzhu Roadto the base of Dakeng. The second, known as the Changhua Extension, runs west past Taichung HSR Station and crosses the Dadu River to Changhua. The extensions add two and five more stations respectively, and will cost an additional $25 billion NTD.
History
A metro system in Taichung was discussed since 1990, which would connect various suburbs including Caotun, Zhongxing New Village, and others. The plan was dropped due to high cost and low projected ridership. A new proposal was renewed and approved in 2004, but construction did not begin immediately because of costs exceeding estimates and disagreements over where stations would be. In 2010, preliminary work began by relocating trees on the median and rerouting the utilities that run under those roads. Progress plagued with various delays, including conflicts between the city and electrical contractors, problems with land acquisition, and the bankruptcy of a major utilities contractor. Because of the delays, mayor Jason Hu and his administration were heavily criticized by rivaling political parties. Formal construction began in May 2013. Two separate incidents occurred during construction. On 19 August 2014, a crane malfunctioned and broke off its arm, falling on top of a restaurant. No injuries were reported. Then, on 10 April 2015, a crane's arm snapped while lifting a 209-ton I-beam, causing the beam to fall and crushing a car underneath. Workers atop the beam were also thrown off. The driver of the car and three workers lost their lives, while four other works sustained heavy injuries. Construction was halted for three months following the incident. On 30 June 2016, construction of the line was completed, and testing began soon after. Initially, the stations numbers were numbered sequentially from G1 to G20, with the "G" representing green. However, since G8 is pronounced similar to chi-bai, which is considered profane in Hokkien, the "G" prefix was changed to "1", which stands for the fact that the Green line is the first line constructed.
