It will bridge the northern gap between the west coast mainline and the east line, which is now blocked by the rugged Central Mountain Range. The present traffic movement between Suao and Hualien is a narrow highway, the transportation volume of which is much limited.
以往由於中央山脈阻隔，鐵路東西兩線不銜接，蘇澳、花蓮間的交通全賴公路，客貨運的運輸量都有限。