The Taipei City Government said on Tuesday that it would not add an MRT station at Tianshui Road （天水路） on the Songshan Line, ditching a key part of former mayor Ma Ying-jeous （馬英九） plan to revive business in the Datong District （大同）.
Although some city councilors and local residents expected the station to bring more business to the Jiancheng Circle area, the Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit decided on Tuesday to abandon the plan following resistance from landowners and budget restraints.

The rapid transit department had planned to set up a station between the proposed Beimen Station （北門站） and Zhongshan Station （中山站）. However, the central government did not agree to subsidize the project, which required a budget of NT$5.8 million （US$170 million）, while the refusal by some landowners to sell property to the department further reduced the feasibility of the station, department director Tom Chan （常歧德） said.

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin （郝龍斌） met with municipal heads on Tuesday and agreed that the city government should give up the plan.

In response to some city councilors demands that the department build the station, Hau said that an MRT station would not necessarily revitalize Datong District. He said that transportation and urban development departments should seek other solutions to bring more business to the area.

The 8.5-kilometer Songshan Line, which will begin at Ximen Station and terminate at Songshan Station, is scheduled to be completed by 2013. Once completed, MRT travel time from Ximen to Songshan stations will be reduced to 15 minutes.

The underground line will contain seven stations and connect with the Nangang-Banqiao Line, the Danshui Line and the Muzha Line, as well as the Xinzhuang-Zhonghe Line, which is also under construction.