LOCALS WANT MRT, CENTRAL GOVT. WANTS A LIGHT RAIL|前瞻建觀光鐵道 東港人:要捷運.不要輕軌

Under the forward-looking infrastructure projects plan the Government has allocated NT$2.5 billion to build a light rail line from Pingtung to Donggang harbor. However, Donggang Mayor and local residents said they do not want light rail, but want the Kaohsiung MRT to be extended south to Donggang. In the summer Donggang harbor is full of people. Recently tourism to Xiaoliciu expanded enormously but the central government feels that transport to Donggang has not kept pace with this. Therefore within the infrastructure plan, NT$2.5 billion was allotted to a tourist light rail to Donggang to go along the old Donggang rail line and extend to the harbor. However, local residents are not happy about this at all. ==DONGGANG RESIDENT == The MRT can still be a tourist train, if the MRT is extended it would be better. ==DONGGANG RESIDENT== An MRT would be quicker and it is already at Xiaogang Airport, so from there it could take international visitors, that sort of transport link would be much better for both Xiaoliciu and Donggang. Not only are residents against a tourist light rail, the local administration office is also against it. The office says if the old rail line is used to build a light rail, there are 18 level crossing junctions with roads, and they worry there will be a lot of vehicle accidents. ==LIU CHIA-LANG Sec.Gen, Pingtung County Donggang Township Office== It is high-risk, the last TRA train running through there had a crash with a National Coach vehicle, killing five people and injuring 30. The majority of Donggang residents hope that the Kaohsiung MRT's red line can be extended to Linyuan and Donggang as it would be more effective. However, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications responded that so far the MRT had only been extended to Xiaogang and there had not yet been an assessment made for extension to Linyuan let alone Donggang. The central government and local residents have different opinions. Pingtung County government is in the middle and said that Donggang Township had its own considerations and it would respect them. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR 在「前瞻基礎建設」裡頭，政府編列25億，要在屏東蓋東港觀光鐵道，以輕軌方式，讓路線可以延伸到東港碼頭。不過東港鎮長和當地居民表示，他們不要輕軌，要捷運，希望高雄捷運可以向南延伸到東港。 夏天的東港碼頭人潮滿滿，近幾年來小琉球觀光蓬勃發展，但中央認為通往東港的交通卻沒有跟著進步，因此在前瞻基礎建設裡頭，編列25億要蓋東港觀光鐵道，走已經停駛的東港線舊鐵道路線，以輕軌的方式讓路線延伸到東港碼頭，但當地居民聽到都搖頭。 ==東港民眾== 觀光火車還有捷運的話 我是覺得 如果能夠捷運先過來是最好 ==東港民眾== 捷運會比較快 而且 它剛好在小港機場有(站) 它從那一節如果再把遊客 外國遊客(帶進來) 這樣子在交通上 其實對東港或小琉球 還滿加分的 不只居民反對、東港鎮公所也表示反對。公所認為若沿著舊鐵道路線蓋輕軌，所有綠色圈圈的地方當時都是平交道，擔心蓋了輕軌，不知道這18個路口又會發生多少車禍。 ==屏東縣東港鎮公所主秘 劉佳郎== 這危險性非常高 當年台鐵在那邊最後一班列車 還發生國光客運跟火車相撞 死傷了5個人 受傷的更多 30幾個 東港人大多希望高雄捷運紅線能延伸到林園、東港，認為這樣效益最大，不過交通部回應，高捷現在只有到小港，延伸到林園還在評估，延伸到東港可能又更久。如今中央地方不同調，夾在中間的屏東縣政府則表示，東港鎮有東港地方的考量，縣政府表示尊重。 綜合報導