The track construction for the Taichung Metro Blue Line has been formally put out to tender, a step forward for a route that has been delayed for years — but a huge funding gap casts a shadow over its prospects.

• Tenders have opened for the turnkey track construction covering the roughly 24.78 km of the entire Blue Line and the Longjing depot, with a budget of just over NT$3.8 billion; the tender closes on September 14.
• The line has dragged on for nearly eight years under Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, with civil engineering work long stalled and only recently starting construction or being awarded piece by piece.
• The biggest worry is a lack of money: the approved budget of NT$161.5 billion has been almost entirely used up, and completing the entire line is estimated to require another NT$100 billion to NT$130 billion.
• The tracks use wear-resistant steel rails and a movable frog design, intended to extend service life and reduce noise and vibration.

Outlook: If the tender goes smoothly, it could connect with the civil and electromechanical works before the end of the year, but if the funding gap of over NT$100 billion cannot be filled, the timeline for opening the entire line remains highly uncertain.