On the morning of March 5, Taoyuan Mayor Chang Shan-Cheng presided over a municipal meeting. He stated that Taoyuan strives for innovation and breakthroughs in both international marketing and transportation infrastructure. For international marketing, Taoyuan Metro Corporation has partnered with Japan’s Nankai Electric Railway to launch two limited-time themed trains. The “Taoyuan” train, featuring Taoyuan’s mountain and sea attractions, as well as local cultural elements, began operating on February 25. It will run until Expo 2025 Osaka, traveling between Namba Station, Wakayama City, and Kansai Airport. This initiative highlights Taoyuan’s unique charm and aims to attract Japanese tourists to Taiwan. At the same time, another themed train showcasing the characteristics of Japanese cities, including Wakayama, is now running on the Taoyuan Airport MRT. Residents are encouraged to spot and enjoy these artistic trains.
In terms of transportation infrastructure, Mayor Chang emphasized that traffic improvement requires a pragmatic and continuous process. The city government has been gradually enhancing the quality of transportation services through diverse strategies, such as implementing smart traffic signals, adjusting signal timings, and establishing unobstructed sight lines at left-turn lanes. These efforts have led to Taoyuan being shortlisted for the 2025 Smart 20 Awards, organized by Smart Cities Connect.
Mayor Chang pointed out that due to the investment in diverse transportation strategies and the collaborative efforts of various departments, popular tourist spots in Taoyuan, such as Daxi Old Street, Yongan Fishing Harbor, and Shimen Reservoir, maintained stable road service levels during the recently concluded 228 Peace Memorial Day long weekend, despite the influx of heavy traffic. Mayor Chang also encouraged all units to continue optimizing traffic management measures during the upcoming Ching Ming Festival long weekend and urged citizens to consider early or off-peak tomb-sweeping to further alleviate traffic pressure.