Residents of Yilan County, bolstered by support from several civic organizations, have escalated their opposition to the government’s high-speed rail extension project by filing an administrative lawsuit. The legal action seeks to revoke the environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval for the proposed expansion, marking a significant pushback against a development initiative critics argue was rushed and insufficiently vetted.
The move follows the Executive Yuan’s rejection of an administrative appeal on September 11. The core of the plaintiffs’ grievances centers on procedural irregularities and a lack of transparency regarding the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of the massive infrastructure project.
Thomas Chan, a lawyer and former deputy minister of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration, has been a vocal critic of the review process. Having spent three decades in the field of environmental law, Chan described the speed at which the EIA was processed as among the fastest he has witnessed. This rapid timeline, he argues, prevented a thorough investigation into critical issues, most notably the handling of the nearly 10 million cubic meters of soil and rock expected to be excavated during construction. Despite these massive volumes, the public has yet to receive a clear plan regarding the disposal or repurposing of this material.
Beyond the immediate construction phase, the lawsuit highlights concerns over a planned 420-hectare special zone adjacent to the proposed Yilan station. Chan warned that the full scale of the farmland acquisition required for this development remains ambiguous, potentially opening the door to land speculation. Because much of the area is currently designated as a special agricultural zone, the project threatens both the local agricultural ecosystem and the livelihoods of those dependent on the farming industry—factors critics argue were ignored during the EIA review.
Internal dissent within the expert committees also points to a problematic process. According to Chan, members of the environmental impact assessment committee raised significant questions regarding route planning, the operational impact on the Taiwan Railway Corp, and the financial stability of the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. Despite these lingering reservations, the project successfully cleared the second stage of the environmental assessment.
The criticism extends to the government’s decision-making methodology. Former transportation minister Hochen Tan has highlighted a lack of foundational research, noting that the project did not undergo a separate feasibility study before moving into comprehensive planning. Tan also questioned the weighting coefficients used to compare potential routes. While environmental factors like water-source protection were assigned a coefficient of 0.145, other factors like travel-time reduction and construction costs were assigned significantly lower weights, a disparity he suggests skewed the assessment in favor of the current plan.
Comparisons have also been drawn to previous infrastructure proposals. In 2006, a direct railway plan connecting Taipei and Yilan—which would have involved a 36km route through the Feitsui Reservoir watershed—was rejected during an environmental review due to the potential for environmental disruption. Critics point out that the current high-speed rail extension, which some estimate to be over 90km long compared to the Railway Bureau’s official 60.6km figure, arguably carries even greater environmental risks.
As the lawsuit proceeds, the conflict highlights a growing tension between national infrastructure expansion and the protection of local agricultural lands and environmental standards. For the residents of Yilan, the legal battle represents a final effort to ensure that the ecological and economic future of their region is not sacrificed for a project they believe has been prioritized over proper oversight and community consultation.
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