A rail system to connect
Taoyuan International Airport with existing transportation hubs was proposed as early as the 1980s and reemphasized over the years in government proclamations such as the
New Ten Major Construction Projects. The metro route was originally planned to be constructed as a
BOT project; in 1998, the project was auctioned to Evertransit International Development Corp. (), a subsidiary of Ever Fortune Industrial Co. (). However, the company failed to begin the construction, and in 2003, the government cancelled the contract. After the BOT project failed to go through, the
Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) decided to build the line directly from the government budget. MOTC originally planned for the line to be transferred to the
Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) to operate; President
Ma Ying-jeou had also proposed the Bureau of High Speed Rail (BOHSR) to operate the line with the
Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) and the TRA. Later, the TRA announced they would not be able to operate the line so the MOTC asked TRTC to operate the line or have the Taoyuan City Government create the Taoyuan Rapid Transit Corporation to operate the line.
Taipei terminus change and design The terminus in
Taipei was originally planned for but was changed to
Taipei Main Station to facilitate transfers to
TRA,
THSR, and
Taipei Metro, as well as other transportation modes including bus services at the adjacent
Taipei Bus Station. However, there were disagreements between MOTC and the Taipei City Government over the precise location of the station platform within the Taipei Main Station area; MOTC preferred an elevated platform just north of Taipei Main Station while the city wanted an underground platform just west of the main station, across Chengde Road. The MOTC's elevated platform proposal was less expensive and faster to construct, but the city objected as the platform and track would have obstructed the scenery of the surrounding area. The two sides eventually compromised, agreeing to the underground platform proposal but with the Taipei City Government covering the additional cost. The revised project was approved in September 2004. and was designed by architect
Fumihiko Maki. The station itself extends five stories underground. China Engineering Consultants, Inc. (CECI) won the contract for construction of the Taipei City section of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, including construction of the station and platform at the Taipei terminus, through public appraisal on 8 July 2005.
Construction and development The BOHSR of the MOTC oversaw construction, which began in 2006 and was scheduled for completion in 2013 but was plagued by multiple delays. The entire system was budgeted at
NT$113.85 billion. Land acquisition for the Sanchong City section totaled and cost
NT$1.4 billion, including land and buildings. In addition to tracks and stations, joint development projects have been constructed to boost development around stations. A
special industrial zone was planned around the
THSR Taoyuan Station area. In April 2011, Kingdom Construction Corp. signed a contract to construct a 16-story residential and commercial building near Linkou Station.
Civil engineering The design of core E&M systems (including
rolling stock,
power supply, signaling, communications, depot equipment,
platform screen doors, etc.) and the design and construction of two depots (Qingpu and Luzhu) were awarded as part of a contract worth NT$25.5 billion. and
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, won the bid for the E&M systems and signed the contract on 12 January 2006. The groundbreaking ceremony for the power supply system was held on 1 October 2010 on behalf of five contractor companies including Hitachi.
Motorola supplied the digital
radio communications system for the line. The power supply for the system is drawn from two
Taiwan Power Company 161 kV supplies at three Bulk Supply Substations (BSS); one incoming line serves as the main power supply while the other serves a backup. One substation (A8) is located between
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and
Linkou. The main RC structure was completed in March 2011, while civil engineering was finished at the end of October. The automatic fare collection system contract was awarded to Mercuries Data Systems (MDS) on 22 October 2010 for NT$355 million.
Platform screen doors are installed at all underground stations, while elevated stations are equipped with automatic platform gates. The Bureau of High Speed Rail responded that due to a base that penetrates into the ground, the tracks could withstand earthquake shake intensity over 5 without a problem. RAIL.ONE Group provided the
ballastless track system for the line. 150,000 modified bi-block type B 355 ties were delivered for the line. The first set arrived between July and December 2010, while the last set began production in March 2011. A section crossing over
National Highway No. 1 employs a V-shaped support system (instead of the usual vertical supports) and began construction in July 2009.
Taoyuan Airport section The airport section consists of four underground stations (, , , and the future station) and is long. Five shield tunneling sections totaling and of cut-and-cover sections were excavated. Arrival areas near the MRT departure areas were constructed.
Tunneling under the Tamsui River The section passing below
Tamsui River (about in length) employed the shield-tunneling method. The double-O-tube (DOT) shield tunnel machine was used for the first time in Taiwan. The -long tunnels took 1 year to dig, and were completed in December 2010.
Chingshan Road section This section was built along a steep roadside slope. Traditional construction methods would greatly increase the difficulty, cost, and excavation area necessary to build an elevated line through the area. A total of 15 bamboo-cut foundations were constructed, ranging from a height of . ==Route extension and future stations==