Taipei Rapid Transit System

Infobox Public transit
name = Taipei Rapid Transit System
(Metro Taipei)


imagesize = 100px
locale = Metropolitan Taipei
transit_type = Rapid transit
began_operation = March 28, 1996
system_length = "Revenue service": 74.4 km
"Total": 76.6 km
lines = 8
stations = 67
ridership = 1.25 million
(July 2008)
track_gauge = RailGauge|sg (standard gauge)
operator = [http://www.trtc.com.tw/e/ Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation] Chinese
t=台北大眾捷運系統
p=Táiběi Dàzhòng Jiéyùn Xìtǒng
tp=Táiběi Dàjhòng Jiéyùn Sìtǒng
w=T'ai²-pei³ Ta⁴-chung⁴ Chieh²-yün⁴ Hsi⁴-t'ung³
poj=Tâi-pak Toā-chiòng Chia̍t-ūn Hē-thóng
h=Thòi-pet Thai-zung Chia̍p-yun He-thúng
altname=Metro Taipei
t2=台北捷運
p2=Táiběi Jiéyùn
tp2=Táiběi Jiéyùn
w2=T'ai²-pei³ Chieh²-yün⁴
poj2=Tâi-pak Chia̍t-ūn
h2=Thòi-pet Chia̍p-yun

The Taipei Rapid Transit System (zh-t|台北大眾捷運系統), also known as the MRT (Metropolitan Rapid Transit), or the Taipei Metro (zh-t|台北捷運) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Taipei metropolitan area. The network includes 76.6km of rail with 67 stations. The system is operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (zh-t|t=台北大眾捷運公司) or TRTC. Due to its efficiency and affordability, the Taipei Metro system is a common mode of public transport in Metropolitan Taipei, with over 1.2 million trips made in an average weekday. In addition to the rapid transit system itself, the TRTC operates several public facilities such as the Maokong Gondola, underground shopping malls, parks, and public squares. Modifications to existing railway lines to further integrate them into the rapid transit system are underway.

The Taipei Metro is one of the most expensive rapid transit systems ever constructed, with the completed phase 1 of the system costing US$18 billion, and phase 2 (currently under construction) estimated to cost US$13.8 billion upon completion. Since it first began operations in 1996, the system has reduced travel time from one end of Taipei to the other from up to three hours to less than an hour, and has been effective in relieving some of Taipei's traffic congestion problems. The system has also proved effective as a catalyst for urban renewal, as well as increasing tourist traffic to outlying cities such as Danshui.

History

Initial Proposal

In 1967, Taiwan's government researched the possibility of constructing a rapid transit network in the Taipei metropolitan area; however, the plan was shelved due to fiscal 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) produced a preliminary rapid transport system report, with the designs of five lines, including U1, U2, U3, S1, and S2, to form a rough sketch of the planned corridors, this was the first rapid transit system plan produced in Taipei. In September 1981, the IOT invited the BMTC and the China Engineering Consultants, Inc. to form a team, to do indepth research on the preliminary report.

In 1982, the Taipei city government commissioned the National 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 Line 1 and Line 2 of the medium capacity metro system.

Initial Network

In March 1, 1985, the Executive Yuan Council for Economic Planning and Development signed a treaty with the Taipei Transport Council, made up of three American consultant firms, to do an overall research of a rapid transit system in metropolitan Taipei. Apart from corrections made to the initial proposal, Line 1 of the medium capacity metro system was also included into the network. In 1986, the initial network design of the Taipei Metro by the Council for Economic Planning and Development was passed by the Executive Yuan, the network corridors were not certain.

In 1987, the Department of Rapid Transit System (DORTS) was established, apart from preparing the construction of the metro system, DORTS also performed small corrections on the metro corridor.

The 6 lines proposed on the initial network were
*Danshui Line
*Xindian Line
*Zhonghe Line
*Nangang Line
*Muzha Line
*Neihu Line

The 6 Lines

The Executive Yuan approved the initial network plan for the system on May 27, 1986. Construction on the TRTS began on December 15, 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.

The system opened on March 28, 1996 with 10.5 km available on the Muzha Line, a medium-capacity line, with twelve stations between Zhongshan Junior High School to Taipei Zoo. The first heavy-capacity line, the Danshui Line, was opened on March 28, 1997 between Danshui to Zhongshan Station.

On December 24, 1999, a section of the Banqiao/Nangang Line was opened between Longshan Temple and Taipei City Hall. This section became the first east-west line running through Taipei City, connecting the two previously completed north-south lines.

On September 17, 2001, Typhoon Nari flooded all underground tracks, as well as 16 stations, the heavy-capacity system operation control center, the administration building and the Nangang Depot. The elevated Muzha Line was not seriously affected and resumed operations the next day; however, the heavy-capacity lines were not restored to full operational status until three months later. Following this incident, the TRTS has devoted more resources to flood prevention in the underground system.

On May 31, 2006, the second stage of the Banqiao / Nangang Line and the Tucheng Line began operation. Currently the metro network consists of 8 lines totalling 74.4 km and 69 stations (of which 7 are transfer stations), with continuing expansion. [cite web | url=http://english.trtc.com.tw/future.asp?catid=%E8%B7%AF%E7%B6%B2%E8%88%87%E7%B3%BB%E7%B5%B1&small=%E8%B7%AF%E7%B6%B2%E8%88%87%E7%B3%BB%E7%B5%B1 | title=TRTC Network and System | publisher= "Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation" | date=2007-10-05 | accessdate=2007-10-18 ]

In January 2008, the metro system achieved a daily ridership of 1,187,922 passengers. [cite web | url=http://home.trtc.com.tw/RidershipCounts/E/e9701.htm | title=Daily ridership counts: January 2008 | publisher="Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation" | date=2007-02-05 | accessdate=2008-03-19 ] In terms of daily ridership, the Taipei Metro is larger than Washington D.C.'s Metrorail (702,171 in FY 2007) and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (356,060 between July 2007 and September 2007) in the San Francisco Bay Area.

On July 4, 2007, the Maokong Gondola, a new aerial lift/cable-car system, was opened to public. The system connects Taipei Zoo, Zhinan Temple and Maokong.

Line inauguration

Impact

Despite earlier controversy, by the time the first phase of construction was completed in 2000, it was generally agreed that the metro project was a success, since becoming an essential part of life in Taipei.

Since Taipei Metro joined the Nova International Railway Benchmarking Group and the Community of Metros (Nova/CoMET) in 2002, it has started collecting and analyzing data of the 33 Key Performance Indicators set by Nova/CoMET in order to compare them with those of other metro systems around the world, as a reference to improve its operation. Taipei Metro also has gained keys to success from case studies on different subjects such as safety, reliability, and incidents, and from the operational experiences of other metro systems. [cite web | url=http://www.trtc.com.tw/e/contact.asp?catid=%E5%B0%88%E6%A1%88&small=%E7%87%9F%E9%81%8B%E5%8F%AF%E9%9D%A0%E5%BA%A6%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%80 | title = Taipei Metro Rating|publisher= Taipei Rapid Transit System|date=2007-11-22|accessdate=2007-11-22] .

According to a study conducted by the Railway Technology Strategy Centre of Imperial College [cite web | url=http://www.rtsc.org.uk/ |title=Railway And transport strategy centre (rtsc)] , and data gathered by Nova/CoMET, the Taipei Metro has ranked number 1 in the world for four consecutive years in terms of reliability, safety and quality standards.

Infrastructure

Network

ee also

*Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System
*Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit
*List of rapid transit systems
*Rail transport in Taiwan
*Taiwan High Speed Rail
*Maokong Gondola

References and notes

External links

* [http://www.trtc.com.tw/e/ Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation Official Website ]
* [http://english.taipei.gov.tw/dorts/index.jsp Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems]
* [http://english.taipei.gov.tw/TCG/index.jsp Taipei City Government Official Website]
* [http://www.urbanrail.net/as/taip/taipei.htm UrbanRail.Net:TAIPEI Taiwan]
* [http://www.pinyin.info/taiwan/taipei_mrt_stations.html Taipei MRT stations in Chinese characters, Hanyu Pinyin, and some English]