SYSTRA supports major railway modernisation project in Taiwan

Commissioned by Taiwan’s Railway Bureau, under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the project forms part of a wider effort to modernise the country’s railway infrastructure and improve connections between its urban centres.

SYSTRA Taiwan will support engineering consultancy TY Lin as the electrical and mechanical (E&M) systems sub-consultant.

A safer, better-connected railway for eastern Taiwan

Covering approximately 16km of the existing Yilan Line, the project will transform the railway corridor between Sicheng and Dongshan, including the reconstruction of four stations — Yilan, Erjie, Zhongli and Luodong — and the construction of a new station, Yilan New Station.

The latter is planned to become an interchange with the future high-speed railway extension linking Yilan to Taipei, facilitating seamless connections between conventional and high-speed rail services.

Beyond railway modernisation, the project is expected to bring significant benefits to local communities. By eliminating nine level crossings, it will improve road safety, reduce traffic bottlenecks and reconnect urban areas currently separated by railway infrastructure.

Expected to reach completion by 2037, the project will also create opportunities for urban regeneration around stations and support the development of more integrated public transport.

SYSTRA’s expertise at the heart of a complex railway transformation

One of the project’s main challenges will be to carry out the works while maintaining railway operations throughout construction. Temporary tracks and phased system changeovers will be used to keep trains running as the new infrastructure takes shape.

As part of its PMC assignment, SYSTRA Taiwan will review E&M systems designs at successive project stages and manage interfaces with Taiwan Railway’s ongoing signalling modernisation programmes, including its electronic interlocking renewal and third-generation centralised traffic control system.

Our teams will also coordinate Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS) activities, alongside Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V), contributing to the safe integration of new infrastructure and systems into the operational railway network.

A new milestone for SYSTRA in Taiwan

This contract marks a further step in SYSTRA’s longstanding contribution to Taiwan’s railway development.

Present on the island since the 1980s, SYSTRA has been involved in major transport projects ranging from the development of the Taipei metro and Taiwan High Speed Rail to more recent urban rail schemes across the country.

The Yilan–Luodong project represents a new chapter for SYSTRA Taiwan, extending its project management consultancy activities into the conventional railway sector.

It also strengthens SYSTRA’s collaboration with TY Lin Taiwan, with whom our teams are already working on the Taoyuan Metro Brown Line and the Tainan Monorail Blue Line, further reinforcing our position as a trusted partner in the development of Taiwan’s rail networks.