Taichung's plan to build seven metro lines at once is running far behind, which is bad news for commuters and for whoever becomes the next mayor.

• City transit officials now say finishing all seven metro lines will take 30 to 40 years.
• The Blue Line has been repeatedly delayed after its route was changed, and the crucial downtown underground section will not break ground until next year.
• The cost has ballooned — an extra 100 billion NT dollars for the Blue Line, and roughly 70 billion more for the Orange Line because approval dragged on.
• Both parties are blaming each other: opposition councilors say the ruling party in city hall stalled the projects, while the deputy mayor points at the two years the central government took to approve the Orange Line study.

Outlook: Contracts for the Blue Line's elevated and track work are moving, but the underground stretch and the political fight over who caused the delays will define the next mayor's term.