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Taipei Metro

Metro system in Taiwan

  • 24 min read
  • 10 chapters

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Through Traffic congestion

It was the first rapid transit system to be built on the island. The initial network was approved for construction in 1986, and work began two years later. It began operations on 28 March 1996, and by 2000, 62 stations were in service across three main lines.

Over the next nine years, the number of passengers had increased by 70%. Since 2008, the network has expanded to 131 stations and the passenger count has grown by another 96%. The system has been praised by locals for its effectiveness in relieving growing traffic congestion in Taipei and its surrounding satellite towns, with over two million trips made daily.

History

Proposal and construction

The idea of constructing a rapid transit system on the island was first put forth at a press conference on 28 June 1968, where the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced its plans to begin researching the possibility of constructing such a network in the Taipei metropolitan area; however, the plan was shelved due to financial concerns and the belief that such a system was not urgently needed at the time. With the increase of traffic congestion accompanying economic growth in the 1970s, the need for a rapid transit system became more pressing. In February 1977, the Institute of Transportation (IOT) of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) released a preliminary rapid transport system report, with the designs of five lines: U1, U2, U3, S1, and S2, to form a rough sketch of the planned corridors, some of which would be converted from single-tracked Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) branch lines, resulting in the first rapid transit system plan for Taipei.

In 1981, the IOT invited British Mass Transit Consultants (BMTC) and China Engineering Consultants, Inc. to form a team and provide in-depth research on the preliminary report. In 1982, the Taipei City Government commissioned National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University to do a research and feasibility study on medium-capacity rapid transit systems. In January 1984, the university proposed an initial design for a medium-capacity rapid transit system in Taipei City, including plans for the Wenhu line and the Tamsui–Xinyi line. The pre-1985 plans would have retained the 3 ft 6 in gauge of the TRA lines and the rolling stock design would have conformed to TRA and Japanese narrow-gauge standards. On 1 March 1985, the Executive Yuan Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) signed a treaty with the Taipei Transit Council (TTC), composed of three American consultant firms, to conduct overall research on a rapid transit system in Taipei. Apart from adjustments made to the initial proposal, such as the move to standard gauge track and wider and longer rolling stock for the high-capacity lines, Wenhu line was also included into the network. In 1986, the initial network design of the Taipei Metro by the CEPD was passed by the Executive Yuan, although the network corridors were not set yet. A budget of NT$441.7 billion was allocated for the project.

On 27 June 1986, the Preparatory Office of Rapid Transit Systems was created, which on 23 February 1987 was formally established as the Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) for handling, planning, designing, and constructing the system. Apart from preparing for the construction of the metro system, DORTS also made small changes to the metro corridor. The six lines proposed on the initial network were: Tamsui line and Xindian line (Lines U1 and U2), Zhonghe Line (Line U3), Nangang Line and Banqiao Line (Line S1), and Muzha line (now Wenhu line), totaling 79 stations and 76.8 km (47.7 mi) route length, including 34.4 km (21.4 mi) of elevated rail, 9.5 km (5.9 mi) at ground level, and 44.2 km (27.5 mi) underground. The Neihu Line corridor was approved in 1990. On 27 June 1994, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) was formed to oversee the operation of the Taipei Metro system.

The Executive Yuan approved the initial network plan for the system on 27 May 1986. Construction began on 15 December 1988. The growing traffic problems of the time, compounded by road closures due to TRTS construction led to what became popularly known as the "dark age of Taipei traffic". The TRTS was the center of political controversy during its construction and shortly after the opening of its first line in 1996 due to incidents such as computer malfunction during a thunderstorm, alleged structural problems in some elevated segments, budget overruns, and fare prices.

Opening and initial network

The system opened on 28 March 1996, with the 10.5 km (6.5 mi) elevated Wenhu line, a driverless, medium-capacity line with twelve stations running from Zhongshan Junior High School to Taipei Zoo. The first high-capacity line, the Tamsui–Xinyi line, began service on 28 March 1997, running from Tamsui to Zhongshan, then extended to Taipei Main Station at the end of the year. On 23 December 1998, the system passed the milestone of 100 million passengers.

1999–2006 expansions

On 24 December 1999, a section of the Bannan line was opened between Longshan Temple and Taipei City Hall. This section became the first east–west line running through the city, connecting the two previously completed north–south lines. On 31 May 2006, the second stage of the Banqiao–Nangang section and the Tucheng section began operation. The service was then named Bannan after the districts that it connects (Banqiao and Nangang).

Maokong Gondola

On 4 July 2007, the Maokong Gondola, a new aerial lift/cable-car system, was opened to the public. The system connects the Taipei Zoo, Zhinan Temple, and Maokong. Service was suspended on 1 October 2008 due to erosion from mudslides under a support pillar following Typhoon Jangmi. The gondola officially resumed service as of 31 March 2010, after relocation of the pillar and passing safety inspections.

2009–2014 expansions

On 4 July 2009, with the opening of the Neihu segment of Wenhu line, the last of the six core segments was completed. Due to debate on whether to construct a medium-capacity or high-capacity line, construction of the line did not begin until 2002.

Zhonghe–Xinlu line was extended from Guting to Luzhou and Huilong in 2012. The Xinyi section of Tamsui–Xinyi line and Songshan section of Songshan–Xindian line were opened on 24 November 2013 and 15 November 2014 respectively.

Prior to 2014, only physical lines had official names; services did not. In 2008, all full-run and short-turn services were referred to by termini while Bannan and Wenhu services were referred to by the physical lines on which they operated.

Following the completion of the core sections of the system in 2014, the naming scheme for services was set and 'lines' started to refer to services. Between 2014 and 2016, lines were given alternative number names based on the order of the dates the lines first opened. Brown, Red, Green, Orange and Blue lines were named lines 1 to 5 respectively. The planned Circular, Wanda–Shulin and Minsheng–Xizhi lines were to be lines 6 to 8 respectively. In 2016, the number names were replaced by colour names. Today, on-board announcements in Chinese use full official names, whereas in English, colour names are used instead.

In June 2023, due to an increasing number of South Korean tourists, the metro announced the addition of Korean announcements at stations where there are high amounts of tourists.

On 3 April 2024, following a magnitude 7 earthquake hitting the island, all active MRT trains were suspended for safety checks to be conducted. All Taipei Metro routes resumed operations later that day.

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