Taichung: Construction of the Taichung Metro’s Blue Line will start on June 26, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen announced Tuesday. At a news conference, Lu stated that to commemorate the groundbreaking, the Taichung Metro’s Green Line will offer free rides on the same day.

According to Focus Taiwan, the new Blue Line will start at the Port of Taichung and move eastward through Shalu and Xitun districts before reaching central Taichung. This new development is part of a plan by the city government to expand the metro system. The planned 20-station line, which involves an investment of NT$161.51 billion (US$5.17 billion), will intersect with the Green Line at Taichung City Hall Station. The line is expected to be open to the public by 2034.

Meanwhile, efforts continue to identify the Taichung Metro’s 50 millionth rider, who has the chance to win a prize of two Starlux business class round-trip tickets from Taichung to any destination in Asia. The rider, who used the metro on June 9, remains unidentified as their card was not registered in Taichung’s system. The card used was an iPass card numbered 35000104351, as reported by the Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Corporation.