Ministry of Transportation allocates NT$49.9 billion for MRT construction plans; local governments claim subsidies are insufficient. Ministry of Transportation: Allocations based on execution rates

The Ministry of Transport's budget for next year's "Mass Rapid Transit System Construction Plan" allocates 49.9 billion yuan, an increase of 5.5 times compared with this year. However, many counties and cities claim that subsidies are insufficient. Wu Shengyuan, deputy director of the Ministry of Transport, said that the relevant budgets are mainly proposed by local governments on their own initiative and review past budgets. Calculating usage, the budget implementation rate in each region is about 70% to 80%, which means there is still 20% to 30% unspent. Therefore, next year’s subsidy funds will be 80% of the approved amount in the north and about 70% in the south. If the follow-up projects progress quickly, we will strive for additional budgets in subsequent years.

The Ministry of Transportation's budget for next year's "Mass Rapid Transit System Construction Plan" allocates 49.9 billion yuan (including the Keelung MRT), an increase of 5.5 times compared with this year, including more than 20 billion yuan for the two norths, 4.5 billion for the Taichung Blue Line, 4.6 billion for the Taoyuan Airport City MRT Line and Land Integrated Development Plan, 1.4 billion for the Tainan Phase 1 Blue Line Construction and Surrounding Land Plan, and 14 billion for Kaohsiung. Among them, there are three new MRT project budgets for next year, including the Northern Express Sanying Line extension of the Taoyuan Bade section of 42.9 million, the Kaohsiung Circular Light Rail MRT with 250.2 million, and the Kaohsiung Gangshan Road Bamboo Extension Line Phase 1 and Phase 2A with 1.9142 billion. New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Taichung, which are governed by the Kuomintang, said subsidies had been cut.

Wu Shengyuan said that the central government supports local governments in MRT construction, focusing on the balanced development of Taiwan. Although the central budget has been reduced after the new fiscal planning law came into effect, the relevant budgets are mainly proposed by local governments. The central government rigorously reviews the plan, comprehensively considers factors such as project progress, tendering and awarding, and budget implementation, and considers the preparation of subsidy funds.

Wu Shengyuan said that the "mass rapid transit system construction plan" will be allocated from 15.4 billion in 2024, 17 billion in 2025, and 9 billion this year (including Keelung MRT) to a total of 49.9 billion (including Keelung MRT) next year. New high, MRT construction budget preparation is mainly based on the actual project progress, bidding status and past budget implementation. "There are consistent standards, not just the progress, not the north and the south, but the transportation considerations for local MRT construction."

Wu Shengyuan said that different routes and project stages are different, and the funds required in the initial planning stage are not much. In contrast, more funds are required when entering the peak period of the project. Looking at the time span, the Ministry of Transport has assisted local MRT construction projects over the years and has provided subsidies of up to 7161 billion. Among them, the construction of the northern MRT started earlier and the construction funds required are relatively high. The northern and northern bases have received subsidies of more than 488.2 billion yuan, accounting for nearly 70% of the overall subsidy funds. The central and southern regions have only started construction in recent years, so the remaining 30% is allocated by counties and cities.

Wu Shengyuan emphasized that in response to the local MRT construction funding needs for next year reported by local governments, the Ministry of Transportation invited local governments to hold a review meeting for next year's budget preparation on May 4, which will be reviewed and listed by the Executive Yuan; the 2025 local MRT budget will be implemented on average The implementation rate is about 80%, which means that in the past, 20% to 30% have not been spent. This year, the overall budget of North and North Tao is nearly 80%, and the southern part is about 70%. The same will be true for next year. If the project progress is ahead of schedule, we will fight with the Executive Yuan to include it in the subsequent budget.