Taipei, Taiwan--Since its opening two years ago, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation has transported some 70 million people on its first two lines, according to TRTC President Richard Chen.
The Taipei organization, an international member of APTA, is working toward the completion of its seven-line system early in the next century, with the Chungho Line due to join the current Mucha and Tamshui Lines in service in December. The completed Taipei rapid transit system will include 88 kilometers of track and 80 stations.
The TRTC recently instituted a fare cut to promote ridership among commuters and further motivate people to leave their cars at home. A transit trip now costs only NTS$13, equivalent to 38 cents.
In line with the government's efforts to turn Taiwan into an Asian Pacific business center, the system was designed to be user-friendly to non-Chinese tourists and visitors. English-language directions, notices, and public address announcements are provided in stations as well as in the feeder buses serving transit terminals.
Automated ticket vending machines with bilingual (Chinese-English) instructions are available in all stations, and day passes specifically designed for tourists are available throughout the system. As a security precaution, the elevated Mucha Line is equipped with platform screen doors at all stations that only open when aligned precisely with the opened train doors.
Most of the stations are mixed use facilities, with kiosks, shops, and underground shopping malls as part of, or adjacent to, the stations. Joint station development with the private sector is a component of the TRTC system, with more than a dozen terminals and adjacent buildings operated in partnership with private developers. In keeping with maintaining the environment, the system has placed and is maintaining linear parks and pedestrian zones along many of the alignments.
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