PRESIDENT TSAI ANNOUNCES KEELUNG-TAIPEI TRAM LINE|總統宣布建基隆輕軌 在地民眾看法不一

President Tsai Ing-wen announced a major gift to Keelung on the 17th--a "tram-train" project that will bring light rail to the city. Opinions among Keelung constituents are divided. Some say that the city needs the project, but others call it a boondoggle that is simply a ploy for votes. Transportation scholars say that, as the project shares tracks with the current TRA line, the government must consider how TRA scheduling will be affected. In a visit to Keelung on the 17th, President Tsai Ing-wen announced the city's largest infrastructure project in 30 years: a light rail line that she says will benefit 700,000 people. Keelung residents are divided in their opinions. Some support the new transit option, but others dismiss it as an election ploy. ==MS. LIN Member of the Public== At least it'll be an improvement over things they are now. Right now we need to make transfers whenever we go to Taipei. ==MR. LIN Member of the Public== We have the TRA trains, the Kuo-kuang bus, and now there are also a lot of buses run by Metro as well to Taipei. Is such a big investment really necessary? Keelung mayor Lin Yu-chang said that Keelung needs this project for the renewal of the harbor area and to provide more transit choices for the public. He denied that the project was solely an electoral consideration. ==LIN YU-CHANG Keelung City Mayor== This is an important project for our Keelung City and Harbor Renewal Project, and for our new research and development park project in north Wudu. This project will drive further development in north Wudu, Qidu, and Keelung as a whole. An academic says that, with the government planning to have to light rail share tracks with the TRA trains, the project may affect TRA scheduling. ==LEE KER-TSUNG Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Trans. Tech and Mngmt., FCU== The Keelung-Taipei segment will share tracks with the TRA. Will this affect the TRA's scheduling and dispatch? Will the light rail run frequently enough? If there is no more to this project, then there may be little benefit. Lee also said that, though Keelung residents will still have to transfer at Nangang with this new project, the project will also leave more passenger capacity for the eastern mainline. More evaluation will be needed for the benefits and drawbacks of the project. TRANSLATED BY：JOHN CHEN 總統蔡英文昨天，宣布要送基隆一份大禮、基隆輕軌，對此基隆民眾看法不一，有人表示地方真的很需要，但也有人質疑是否為了選舉考量，有亂花錢之嫌。交通學者則認為，政府現在考量這條輕軌，要和台鐵共軌，也有可能會影響到台鐵的排班。 週五下午前往基隆火車站的總統蔡英文，宣布要給基隆人、三十年來的最大建設，輕軌延線將會有70萬人受惠，對此，基隆民眾看法不一，有人支持新的交通建設，有人則質疑這是不是為了選舉考量。 ==民眾 林小姐== 可是最少比現在好呀 現在我們要去（台北） 都還要再轉（車）呀 ==民眾 林先生== 又有一個台鐵在上面走 那麼又有國光客運 現在又很多的那個 像大都會的捷運 都可以到台北去 有必要投資這麼大的金額（嗎） 對此，上午參加老屋活化活動的基隆市長林右昌表示，基隆真的很需要輕軌，因為這可以活化基隆港區，增加民眾交通的選擇性，絕對不是亂開選舉支票。 ==基隆市長 林右昌== 這個是對我們基隆 所謂的 基隆市港再生標竿計劃 以及末來北五堵的國際研發新鎮 這一條捷運 這個輕軌捷運的一個建設 會帶動北五堵 還有七堵地區 以及基隆市整體的一個 產業的一個發展 學者認為，政府現在決定要建輕軌，考量和台鐵共軌下，有可能會影響台鐵的排班。 ==逢甲交管系副教授 李克聰== 我們這個基隆到台北這一段 跟台鐵來共軌 會不會影響到 台鐵的 本身的排班調度的機制 那對輕軌來講 它的班次 夠不夠密集 以後呢 如果只做這一段 它的效益可能出不來 李克聰認為，雖然基隆民眾還是得到南港轉車，不過，卻能分散東部的乘客運量，好壞都有待評估。 記者 陳佳鑫 陳昌維 基隆報導