Free Lectures" Tainan Railway Underground becomes a model for government urban governance

On October 17, the first phase of undergrounding the Tainan Railway was opened to traffic. More than 20 years ago, I was studying and serving in Tainan. I personally experienced railways blocking traffic, saw ambulances blocked by level crossings, and witnessed level crossing accidents. Going underground will help improve traffic safety and connect the urban area. It is an important and necessary public construction in Tainan.

The opening of the first phase of undergrounding Tainan Railway will help improve traffic safety and connect the urban area. The picture shows the Tainan Railway's underground opening to traffic, and the first train of the New Ziqiang train entering the station. (File photo)

The project was approved in 2009. After nearly 10 years of struggle, coupled with point delivery and construction, the first phase was finally opened to traffic 17 years later. When Lai Ching-te was the mayor of Tainan, he continued to promote the project in the face of protests, and also facilitated the provision of care homes for eligible demolished households to subscribe. According to city government data, the average subscription price of project housing in 2017 was 105,000 yuan per square meter, allowing demolished households to have more affordable resettlement options and demonstrating the parallel implementation of promoting construction and caring for residents.

Recent reports quoted Huang Chunxiang, one of the last two households to protest, saying that when she later inquired about the resettlement of the care homes, she was told that the subscription price was NT$380,000 per square meter. This is the case-by-case quotation she mentioned and cannot be directly regarded as the unified subscription price of the project housing for the demolition households that year. According to city government data, the average subscription price in 2017 was 105,000 yuan per square meter; the remaining houses sold at auction in 2024 ranged from 360,000 to 420,000 yuan per square meter, with prices ranging from different years and properties. When discussing resettlement policies, prices and applicable conditions should be clearly explained to avoid confusing different information.

When Lai Ching-te was the mayor of Tainan, he continued to promote the project in the face of protests, and also facilitated the provision of care homes for eligible demolished households to subscribe. The picture shows Huang Chunxiang, one of the two protesting households, being helped out by the police. (provided by the public)

The engineering push is not without resistance. The Railway Bureau has stated that there are still three households that have not submitted their orders in 2020. At that time, the project progress was nearly two years behind; it also raised concerns about the construction structure and train operation safety of the temporary track plan proposed by the Self-Rescue Association. Opponents have the right to supervise the government, but they cannot replace feasible solutions with accusations of "profiteering" alone, nor should they ignore the impact of resistance and failure to make submissions on the progress of public projects.

During his tenure as mayor of Tainan, Lai Ching-te was under pressure to promote underground railways and promote affordable housing. Now that the first phase is open to traffic, the engineering and resettlement facilities have already produced concrete results. Promoting public construction in the face of controversy and trying to take care of affected residents is urban governance worthy of recognition.

(The author is engaged in the electronics industry)