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North-south MRT returns to service

After two weeks of interrupted service, the Tamsui-Hsintien line of Taipei's MRT system was back online yesterday.

The line had been down since Sept. 17, when Typhoon Nari ravaged the nation and flooded the MRT's control center in the basement of Taipei Railway Station.

The flooding damaged vital equipment and paralyzed the MRT's operations, with the exception of the Mucha line.

With the Tamsui-Hsintien line up and running again, that leaves the Panchiao-Nankang line still out of order.

Although service was restored to the Tamsui-Hsintien line yesterday, the Shuanglien stop and Taipei Main Station remain closed.

There are also no through trains from Nanshichiao beyond Kuting station; all passengers must transfer at Kuting.

Trains traveling between Tamsui and Hsintien will be dispatched every 15 minutes, while trains between Kuting and Nanshichiao will be dispatched every 20 minutes.

Though a significant portion of the MRT remains out of service and transportation officials are unwilling to say when it will be fully operational again, commuters yesterday were glad to see some progress being made.

Chen Chun-chiao (陳俊兆), a student at Chienkuo High School, said he was thankful that most of the system is up and running again.

Chen said the disrupted service doubled the time of his morning commute.

"The interrupted service definitely has caused a lot of inconvenience for me personally," the 17-year-old said.

"I used to spend 35 minutes traveling to school, but now I have to spend an hour."

Chen's commute takes him from his home in Shihpai to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which is a three-minute walk away from his school.

Another high-school student said her commute from her home in Tinghsi, Taipei County, to her school in Tamsui is an hour longer than normal.

"But it doesn't bother me that much as long as I'm not late for school," the 17-year-old said.

Chen Li-chuan (陳麗娟), who was waiting for a train at the Chungshan station after shopping with her mother yesterday, said the disrupted service hasn't caused her too much inconvenience. Chen's commute is between Nanshichiao and Kuting.

"But I do know how it feels to spend a lot of hours commuting, because sometimes I also need to go to places where the MRT doesn't go," she said.
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