The system was intended to be an extension of the New Towns plan. Though the plan has failed, the city's Mass Rapid Transit Bureau continues to insist on building the original route through the non-existent new town. It won't revise the route to meet Chiaotou's actual needs, to preserve the old trees, or protect the integrity of the sugar mill heritage site.
高捷固然是新市鎮計畫的延續，然而，在新市鎮顯然失敗後，高市捷運局卻仍固守舊圖，堅持穿越已成空中樓閣的新市鎮，而不願意修改路線，以符合橋頭居民的實際需求，並讓老樹得以保存，維護糖廠古蹟的完整。