Taipei MRT opens Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station after decade-long build

Overview

Updated Aug 31

Eastern Xinyi residents waited nearly a decade for a subway stop at their doorstep. On August 30, 2026, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station opened, extending Taipei's Red Line 1.4 kilometers east from Xiangshan with direct, no-transfer service to Taipei 101, Taipei Main Station, and Tamsui.

Crews dug the station box 10 stories deep beneath 25-meter-wide Fude Street, with equipment working as close as 60 centimeters to homes. They fought "upper soft, lower hard" geology: former wetland above bedrock four times harder than expected. The city projects systemwide daily entries and exits will each rise by about 10,000.

Why it matters

A decade-long build gives eastern Xinyi direct subway access to downtown Taipei and Tamsui, replacing bus-dependent commutes on congested Fude Street.

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Key Indicators

1.4 km

Extension length

Runs from Xiangshan Station to the new terminus at Guangci/Fengtian Temple.

10 stories

Station excavation depth

The station box sits up to 10 stories below 25-meter-wide Fude Street.

5,000+

Cement bags used to stabilize ground

Reinforced soft former-wetland soil before tunneling could start.

2.5 m/day

Tunnel-boring advance through hard bedrock

Bedrock up to 1,324 kgf/cm², four times harder than expected, slowed the machine.

30 days

Free-fare promotion on the new segment

Aug 30 to Sep 28; other trip segments still charge normal fares.

10,000

Projected daily gain in entries and exits

TRTC expects systemwide daily entries and exits to each rise by about 10,000.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Chiang Wan-an

Mayor of Taipei

In office; inaugurated the station

Liu An-de

Director of the Second District Engineering Office at Taipei's Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS)

Led the extension's construction

Hu Zheng-lun

Operations planning director at the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC)

Presented ridership projections at the opening

Organizations Involved

Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems

Municipal government agency

Built the extension

The city agency that designs and builds Taipei's MRT lines.

Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation

Municipal transit operator

Operates the network; running opening promotions

The government-owned company that operates Taipei's MRT network.

Timeline

August 2016 August 2026

3 events Latest: August 30th, 2026 · 2 months ago

August 2026
Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station opens
Latest Opening

Chiang Wan-an inaugurates the Red Line terminus; the ride from Xiangshan takes two minutes.
August 30th, 2026 • 2:00 PM
First train departs with six-second horn salute
Opening

Crowds fill the station as the first train departs at 2 PM.
August 30th, 2026 • 2:00 PM
August 2016
Construction begins on Xinyi Line eastern extension
Construction

Work starts on the 1.4 km extension from Xiangshan, beneath 25-meter-wide Fude Street.
August 30th, 2016

Scenarios

Guangci/Fengtian Temple station clears 10,000 daily riders

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation projections

TRTC's Hu Zheng-lun projected the extension would add about 10,000 daily entries and 10,000 daily exits systemwide. The 30-day free-fare promotion gives the station a running start, and the direct Tamsui link gives commuters a reason to stay. Official monthly statistics will show whether the habit sticks.

Ridership fades once the free-fare month ends

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: No named analyst predicts this; it is the null case against TRTC's projection

Free fares end September 28. If most opening-month riders came for the promotion, October data will show a steep drop, meaning the extension shifted trips from buses rather than created new ones. That would undercut the ridership case for the city's next extensions.

East Ring section locks in the 17-minute Neihu commute

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an

Chiang said the future East Ring line, interchanging with the Red Line at Xiangshan, will cut the Guangci-to-Neihu Science Park commute from 40 minutes to 17. The East Ring is already under construction. This scenario resolves when the city commits to a revenue service date.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2009–2022

Crossrail (Elizabeth Line), 2009–2022

London's east-west railway was Europe's largest construction project, boring 42 kilometers of tunnels under the capital. Scheduled to open in December 2018, it opened in May 2022 after repeated delays in station fit-out, signaling, and testing.

Then

The line opened about three and a half years late, with costs reported near £19 billion.

Now

It became a core part of London's commuter network, showing that delayed mega-tunnel projects can still deliver.

Why this matters now

The Guangci extension's near-decade schedule fits a global pattern: dense urban tunneling through hard ground runs late, and riders judge the finished line, not the missed dates.

2005–2013

Taipei Xinyi Line, 2005–2013

The Red Line's previous extension ran from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall east to Xiangshan, tunneling beneath central Taipei. It opened in November 2013 after about eight years of construction.

Then

The line opened in 2013, improving access to Taipei 101 and the eastern business district.

Now

It set the pattern for Taipei's tunneling through dense districts, including the geology problems the eastern extension later hit.

Why this matters now

The 2026 opening completes the Xinyi Line's original eastern ambition, extending the same corridor one stop further.

2009–2015

Hong Kong MTR West Island Line, 2009–2015

A 3-kilometer, three-station extension of Hong Kong's Island Line, bored through hard granite beneath western Hong Kong Island. Targeted for 2012, it opened in phases in December 2014 and March 2015.

Then

The line reached Kennedy Town more than two years late after tunnel-boring machines met harder rock than expected.

Now

It became a reference point for short urban extensions in tough geology slipping their schedules.

Why this matters now

Like Guangci, it was a short extension under a dense district where hard rock slowed the boring machines.