Construction on an underground railway project between New Taipei City and Taoyuan is to begin in April next year, the Railway Bureau said yesterday. The project is part of the Executive Yuan’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program. A master plan for the project was approved by the Executive Yuan in September last year. The 17.9km route extends from New Taipei City’s Yingge District (鶯歌) to Taoyuan’s Pingjhen District (平鎮), bureau Director-General Allen Hu (胡湘麟) said. The NT$104.8 billion (US$3.70 billion) project would involve revamping the railway stations at Taoyuan, Neili (內壢) and Jhungli (中壢), and building five new commuter stations at Fongming (鳳鳴), Jhungli, Taoyuan