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Taipei Rapid Transit System (Metro Taipei)
Locale	Metropolitan Taipei
Transit type	Rapid transit
Began operation	March 28, 1996
System length	In service: 74.4 km Total: 76.6 km
No. of lines	8
No. of stations	67
Daily ridership	1,214,728 (in November 2007)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge)
Operator	Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC)

Taipei Rapid Transit System
Traditional Chinese:	台北大眾捷運系統
Transliterations Kejia (Hakka) - Romanization: Thòi-pet Thai-zung Chia̍p-yun He-thúng Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin: Táiběi Dàzhòng Jiéyùn Xìtǒng - Tongyong Pinyin: Táiběi Dàjhòng Jiéyùn Sìtǒng - Wade-Giles: T'ai2-pei3 Ta4-chung4 Chieh2-yün4 Hsi4-t'ung3 Min - Min-nan POJ: Tâi-pak Toā-chiòng Chia̍t-ūn Hē-thóng
Metro Taipei
Traditional Chinese:	台北捷運
Transliterations Kejia (Hakka) - Romanization: Thòi-pet Chia̍p-yun Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin: Táiběi Jiéyùn - Tongyong Pinyin: Táiběi Jiéyùn - Wade-Giles: T'ai2-pei3 Chieh2-yün4 Min - Min-nan POJ: Tâi-pak Chia̍t-ūn

The Taipei Rapid Transit System (traditional Chinese: 台北大眾捷運公司), also known as the MRT (Metropolitan Rapid Transit), or by locals simply as the Metro Taipei (traditional Chinese: 台北捷運) is a rapid transit system connecting the Taipei metropolitan area. The system is currently operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (traditional Chinese: 台北大眾捷運公司; pinyin: Táiběi Dàzhòng Jiéyùn Gōngsī) or TRTC.

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.^[1].

According to a study conducted by the Railway Technology Strategy Centre of Imperial College ^[2], and data gathered by Nova/CoMET, the Taipei Metro has ranked number 1 in the world for three consecutive years in terms of reliability, safety and quality standards.

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 the currently constructing phase 2 of the system estimated to cost US$13.8 billion. Since its completion, the TRTS has reduced travel time from one end of Taipei to the other from up to three or more 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.

In addition to the rapid transit system itself, the TRTS also includes several public facilities such as Maokong Gondola, underground shopping malls, parks, and public squares. Modifications to existing railway lines to integrate into the MRT are underway.

Contents 1 History 2 Network 3 Services, Facilities, and Amenities 3.1 Station and concourse 3.2 Platforms 3.3 Shopping Centres 3.4 Information Display and Transmission 3.5 Public Artwork 3.6 Accessibility 3.7 Transit Information 4 Operations 4.1 Fare Versus Traveling Distance 5 Rolling Stock 5.1 Medium-Capacity Trains 5.2 Heavy-Capacity Trains 5.3 Table of Rolling Stock 6 Other information[17][18] 7 See also 8 References and notes 9 External links

In 1967, the Taiwan 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.

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 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 and connects the two previously completed north-south lines.

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. However, by the time the first phase of construction was completed in 2000, it was generally agreed that the project was a success. The system has since become an essential part of life in Taipei.

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 TRTS network has 8 lines totalling 74.4 km and 69 stations (of which 7 are transfer stations), with continuing expansion.^[3]

In September 2007, TRTS achieved daily ridership of 1,100,357 riders.^[4] In terms of daily ridership, TRTS is larger than Washington D.C.'s Metrorail (564,000 in FY 2006) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (322,965 in FY 2006) in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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

Note: The following romanizations were taken from the TRTC route page Source: http://www.dorts.gov.tw/net/process.asp (Progress through September 2007, issued on October 16, 2007)

Line			Date of completion	Termini Station		Stations	Track	Length (km)	State	Depot
	Brown Line	Neihu Line	March 2009	Nangang Exhibition Centre	Zhongshan Junior High School	Elevated	12	14.8	Constructing	Neihu Depot Muzha Depot
		Muzha Line[5]	March 28, 1996	Zhongshan Junior High School	Taipei Zoo	Elevated	12	10.9	In Service
	Red Line	Danshui Line	December 24, 1998	Danshui	Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall	Elevated At-Grade Underground	20	22.8	In Service	Beitou Depot
		Xinbeitou Branch Line	March 28, 1997	Xinbeitou	Beitou	Elevated	1	1.2	In Service
		Xinyi Line	December 2012	Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall	Elephant Mountain	Elevated	7	6.4	Constructing
				Elephant Mountain	Guanci Care Home		1.5		Constructing
	Orange Line	Xinzhuang Line	December 2012	Huilong	Guting	Underground	16	19.7	Constructing	Xinzhuang Depot Luzhou Depot Zhonghe Depot
		Luzhou Branch Line	December 2009	Luzhou	Daciao Elementary School	Underground	5	6.4	Constructing
		Zhonghe Line	December 24, 1998	Guting	Nanshijiao	Underground	4	5.4	In Service
	Green Line	Songshan Line	December 2013	Songshan	Ximen	Underground	8	8.5	Constructing	Xindian Depot
		Xiaonanmen Branch Line	August 31, 2000	Ximen	Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall	Underground	1	1.6	In Service
		Xindian Line	November 11, 1999	Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall	Xindian	Underground	11	10.3	In Service
		Xiaobitan Branch Line	September 29, 2004	Xizhang	Xiaobitan	Elevated	1	1.9	In Service
	Blue Line	Nangang Line	December, 2010	Nangang Exhibition Center	Kunyang	Underground	2	2.5	Constructing	Nangang Depot Tucheng Depot
			December 24, 1999	Kunyang	Ximen	Underground	11	11.1	In Service
		Banqiao Line	December 24, 1999	Ximen	Fuzhong	Underground		7.2	In Service
		Tucheng Line	December 24, 1999	Fuzhong	Yongning	Underground		5.5	In Service
				Yongning	Dingpu	Underground	2		Planning
	Yellow Line	Circular Line Stage 1	December 2010				14	15.4	Planning	North Depot South Depot
		Circular Line Stage 2	December 2019				17	19.4	Planning
	TTY Airport Access MRT		2009	Sanchong	Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport	Underground Elevated	22	35.7	Constructing	Luzhu Depot
	Maokong Gondola		July 4, 2007	Taipei Zoo	Maokong	Cable Car	4	4	In Service	Cable Car Depot

All subway stations have a waiting platform of around 150m long to accommodate all six train cars on a typical metro. The width of the station depends on the number of transit passengers, more crowded stations have larger platforms, such as Taipei Main Station, Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, and Ximen Station. Passengers can enter a subway station through escalators, elevators and stairs towards the information booth and token vending machines to buy their fare, which is stored in an EasyCard (a form of smart card) or RFID IC Token. After swiping the card or token at a speedgate, customers can continue to the platforms. All turnstiles have been replaced in phase to speedgates, old magnetic fare cards have been replaced by RFID Tokens.

When final construction is complete, each platform will serve only one line. However, in the meantime, some stations serve trains on 2 or more lines. A passenger needs to look at the signs hung at the platform entrance steps or on the LCD TV panel to see which train is coming next and when. There are a number of platform configurations possible. On a 2-track line, a station may have one center platform used for trains in both directions, or 2 side platforms, one for a train each direction. For a 4-track line, the station is divided into 2 floors, each floor serving 2 tracks. Key transfer stations including the Taipei Main Station and Zhongxiao Fuxing station have platform gates to prevent passengers or objects falling onto the rail.

The following shopping centres and malls are connected directly to the metro system:

• Zhongshan Underground Mall: Shuanglian Station - Zhongshan Station - Taipei Main Station.
• Eslite Underground Mall: above metro Taipei Main Station.
• East Section Underground Mall: Zhongxiao Fuxing Station - Zhongxiao Dunhua Station.
• Station Front Mall: east of Taipei Main Station.
• Ximen Underground Mall: north of Ximen Station (currently used as an office building).
• Taipei Underground Mall: northeast of Taipei Main Station, underneath Civic Boulevard.
• Taipei New World Shopping Centre: area between metro Taipei Main Station and TRA Taipei Main Station.
• Longshan Temple Underground Mall: Longshan Temple Station

All stations have LED indicators giving information on the route and time of the next train, all stations are also equipped with LCD TVs. TRTS provides free WiFi WLAN connections in all stations, trains and tunnels. Underground stations are also equipped with a mobile phone signal transmission base.

In the initial network, important stations such as intersection stations, terminals and stations with heavy passenger flow, were chosen for the installation of public arts. The principles behind the location of public art were visual focus and non-interference with passenger circulation and construction schedules. The artworks included murals, children's mosaic collages, sculptures, hung forms, spatial art, interactive art, window displays etc. The selection methods included open competitions, invitational competitions, direct assignments and cooperation with children. Stations with public art displays include: Shuanglian, NTU Hospital, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Guting, Gongguan, Xindian, Xiaobitan, Dingxi, Nanshijiao, Taipei City Hall, Kunyang, Haishan, and Tucheng. Stations with art galleries include: Zhongshan, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Zhongxiao Fuxing, and Taipei Main Station. The promotion for artwork continues today - the Department of Rapid Transit is holding a bid on providing public large scale artwork for the interiors of the forthcoming Sanchong Station. The bid is placed at over NTD 9 million. ^[6]

The Taipei Metro provides an obstacle-free environment within the entire system, all stations and trains are handicapped accessible. Features include:

• Handicap capable restrooms
• Ramps for wheelchairs and baby strollers
• Handrails on ramps and stairs
• Elevators
• Large station print
• Tactile guides
• Accessible station booth windows
• Accessible Token Vending Machines
• Extra wide speedgates
• Platform-edge warning strips
• Telephone at an accessible height
• broadcast system for the visually-impaired
• Information display system and flash signals for the hearing-impaired
• All metro trains have a special wheelchair area.^[7]

The Taipei Metro also provides access for bicycles during weekends.

Connections to the Taiwan High Speed Rail, Taiwan Railway Association Trains and Shuttle buses are available at Taipei Main Station.

The TRTS operates from 6 am to midnight daily, with extended services during special events. The trains operate at intervals of 2~3 minutes during peak hours and 5~8 minutes during off-peak hours.

Through operations are made between Xindian Line and Danshui Line. In addition, trains from Zhonghe Line go on to run on the Danshui Line before terminating at Beitou station. Only one train operates on the following shuttle lines: Xinbeitou Branch Line, Xiaonanmen Line, and Xiaobitan Branch Line.

RFID IC Tokens and EasyCard (traditional Chinese: 悠遊卡), which is a form of smart card, are used to collect fares. Fares range from NT$20 to NT$65 with most locations accessible for around NT$20-30.

Stations are extremely crowded during rush hours, especially downtown stations such as Taipei Main Station. Tourist attractions such as the Shilin Night Market and Danshui quickly fill up nearby stations during evenings and weekends.

Eating, drinking, smoking, gum-chewing, and betel-nut-chewing are prohibited in the entire system. Automated station announcements are recorded in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, and English.

Distance (km)	≤5	5~8	8~11	11~14	14~17	17~20	20~23	23~27	27~31	≥31
Fare (NTD)	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65

The medium-capacity trains are rubber-tired trains with no onboard train operators but are operated remotely by the medium-capacity system operation control center. The Muzha Line uses the fixed-block Automatic Train Control (ATC) system. Each train consists of two 2-car Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) sets, with a total of 4 cars. Each car is separate and not interconnected; passengers cannot walk between cars except when the train stops at a station.

The Muzha Line uses the VAL 256 cars, with the two VAL 256 cars in the same set sharing the same road number. As a result of this numbering scheme, the 102 cars of the VAL fleet have car numbers from 1 to 51. In June 2003, Bombardier was awarded a contract to supply the Neihu Line mass transit system, which includes manufacture of 202 cars, installing the communications-based CITYFLO 650 moving-block ATC system to replace the current fixed-block ATC and retrofitting the existing 102 VAL 256 cars with the CITYFLO 650 ATC system.

The heavy capacity trains are steel-tired trains each operated by a train operator on board. These cars are computer-controlled. The operator, who is both motorman and conductor, is responsible for opening and closing the doors and making special announcements occasionally. The overall computer-controlled system is known as Automatic Train Control (ATC). ATC controls all train movements - braking, acceleration and speed control, but can be manually overridden by the operator in the case of an emergency. In each cab there is a fully digital console with all of the appropriate controls.

Each train consists of two 3-car Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) sets with a total of 6 cars. Each 3-car EMU set is permanently coupled as DM-T-M, where DM is the motor car with cab, T is a trailer car and M is the motor car without cab. Each motor car has two AC traction motors. The configuration of a 6-car train is DM-T-M-M-T-DM. All cars are interconnected by passage links to allow passengers to pass freely between cars.

In Set XXX, the road number of a DM car is 1XXX, the road number of a T car is 2XXX and the road number of an M car is 3XXX. The table below shows the set numbers of the heavy-capacity car types, which include Types C301, C321, C341 and C371. For example, if the car numbers of a C301 train is 1001-2001-3001-3015-2015-1015, two C301 sets 001 and 015 form this train.

A single set cannot be in revenue service except C371 single sets 397-399, where their M car is exactly a DM car despite its car number being 3XXX. These single sets run exclusively on Xinbeitou Branch Line and Xiaobitan Branch Line. Before the C371 single sets were in revenue service on July 22, 2006, the M cars of C301 sets 013-014 were converted to temporary cab cars to run the Xinbeitou Branch Line.

Car Type	Year Built	Builder	Car Length/ Width/ Height	Seating Capacity Per Car	Total Capacity Per Car	Max. Speed	Fleet Total	Car Numbers	Lines Currently On	Denotes
VAL 256	1993	Matra	13.78 m/ 2.56 m/ 3.53 m	24	114	80 km/h	102	MP 1-51[8]	Muzha Line	2-Car Set
???	2006-	Bombardier	13.78 m/ 2.54 m/ 3.53 m	20	142	80 km/h	202		Muzha Line Neihu Line	2-Car Set
C301	1992- 1993	URC (Subsidiary of Kawasaki)	23.5 m/ 3.2 m/ 3.6 m	60	368	90 km/h	132	1001-1044 (DM[9]) 2001-2044 (T[10]) 3001-3044 (M[11])	All Heavy- Capacity Lines	3-Car Set (DM-T-M)[12] Set no.: 001-044
C321	1997- 1999	Siemens AG	23.5 m/ 3.2 m/ 3.6 m	60	368	90 km/h	216	1101-1172 (DM) 2101-2172 (T) 3101-3172 (M)	All Heavy- Capacity Lines	3-Car Set (DM-T-M)[13] Set no.: 101-172
C341	2003	Siemens AG	23.5 m/ 3.2 m/ 3.6 m	60	368	90 km/h	36	1201-1212 (DM) 2201-2212 (T) 3201-3212 (M)	Banqiao – Nangang Line Tucheng Line	3-Car Set (DM-T-M)[14] Set no.: 201-212
C371	2005-	Kawasaki	23.5 m/ 3.2 m/ 3.6 m	60	368	90 km/h	321	1301-1338, 1397-1399, 1401-1466 (DM) 2301-2338, 2397-2399, 2401-2466 (T) 3301-3338, 3397-3399,[15] 3401-3466 (M)	All Heavy- Capacity Lines	3-Car Set (DM-T-M)[16] Set no.: 301-338, 397-399, 401-466

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Vehicle Contractors:

Initial Systems & Trains: Nissho Iwai American Corporation, Kawasaki Rolling Stock, Matra.

New Systems & Trains: Siemens AG, SGP, Union Carriage.

• Costs:

Phase 1 Construction (1990 - 2000): US$18 Billion

Phase 2 Construction (allocated in 2003): US$13.8 Billion

• Network Information:

• Medium-Capacity Metro Segment (Muzha Line):

System: VAL 256 Medium capacity trains, rubber tires, automatic computer control.

Maximum Speed: 80 km/hour

Maximum Capacity per Train Car: 116 (20 seated, 96 standing)

• Heavy-Capacity Metro Segments (All other lines):

System: 1,435 mm track, third rail current collection system at 750V DC, on-board train operator.

Maximum Speed: 80 km/hour

Maximum Capacity per Train Car: 368

• 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

• Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation Official Website
• Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems
• Taipei City Government Official Website
• UrbanRail.Net:TAIPEI Taiwan
• Taipei MRT stations in Chinese characters, Hanyu Pinyin, and some English

v • d • e Taipei Rapid Transit System Routes
■ Brown	Neihu Line - Muzha Line
■ Red	Danshui Line - Xinbeitou Branch Line - Xinyi Line
■ Orange	Xinzhuang Line - Luzhou Branch Line - Zhonghe Line
■ Yellow	Circular Line
■ Green	Songshan Line - Xindian Line - Xiaobitan Branch Line
■ Blue	Nangang Line - Banqiao Line - Tucheng Line
■ Light Rail	Shezi Light Rail - Danshui Light Rail - Ankheng Light Rail - Sanying Line
■ Purple	Taoyuan Intl. Airport Access MRT System

v • d • e Rail transport in Taiwan
Inter-city	Taiwan Railway Administration • Taiwan High Speed Rail
Rapid transit	Metro Taipei • Taoyuan MRT • Taichung MRT • Kaohsiung MRT
Bus Rapid Transit	Chiayi Bus Rapid Transit
Airport rail link	TRTS Purple Line • KMRT Red Line
Industrial and Tourist	Alishan Forest Railway • Taiwan Sugar Railways • Taiping Mountain Forest Railway
Planned	Keelung LRT • Hsinchu MRT • Tainan MRT