The first phase of the Danhai Light Rail Transit system in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) opened yesterday, with people being offered free rides for a month starting today.
A ceremony was held at the Tamsui District Office, with New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) taking guests on an inaugural ride.
The 7.3km-long tram line, called the Green Mountain Line, connects the Hongshulin MRT Station and Kanding Station to the north, and has a total of 11 stations. It is the first light-rail system in northern Taiwan.
Photo: CNA, courtesy of the New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems
It is part of what is to become a four-section rail network comprised of the Blue Seaside Line currently being built, as well as the Bali and Sanzhi lines, which are still in the planning stages.
The first phase of the Blue Seaside Line is to have three stations — Taipei University of Marine Technology, Shalun Beach and Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf — and is expected to be completed next year, the New Taipei City Government said.
The second phase would add six more stations along the Tamsui River — extending the line from the wharf to Tamsui MRT Station — it said.
The Danhai Light Rail Transit System is expected to cost NT$15.3 billion (US$496.37 million), the city government said.
It is part of the 1,748 hectare Danhai New Town project, which was launched in 1992 in a bid to attract 300,000 residents by 2036.
The Green Mountain Line has seven elevated stations and four ground-level stations.
The trams travel on rail tracks at ground level, but share the road with other vehicles and follow the traffic rules, such as stopping at red traffic lights, the city said.
The cars do not have automatic doors and passengers need to press a button to open them, it said.
The stations are decorated with pieces by artist Jimmy Liao (幾米), New Taipei Metro Corp said, adding that the cars are painted light blue and have large windows for sightseeing.
After the free-ride period is over, the trams are to operate every day between 6:30am and 10pm at 15-minute intervals, with fares ranging from NT$20 to NT$25, company general manager Wu Kuo-chi (吳國濟) said.
Passengers using stored-value cards would receive a 20 percent discount, the company said, adding that passengers could also use the NT$1,280 monthly pass introduced by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments.
Starting in June, nine mobile payment services would be introduced: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, iPASS x Line Pay, Ali Pay, Union Pay, Garmin Pay, Fitbit Pay and Hami Pay, the company said.
The Danhai Light Rail Transit system is a joint venture by Taiwan Rolling Stock Co (台灣車輛) and German-based Voith Engineering Services, that has given Taiwanese transportation manufacturing companies the opportunity to be involved in the development process for the first time, Chu said.
The partnership seeks to facilitate technology transfers and create a supply chain and maintenance operations, he added.
The light-rail transit system could also create additional business opportunities worth NT$14.4 billion nationwide if adopted by other cities, New Taipei Metro Corp said.
The government hopes that by 2025 the nation will be able to manufacture more than half of the light rail components it needs.
The nation’s first light-rail system opened late last year in Kaohsiung.
PAPERS, PLEASE: A digital certificate or a printout would return one of three results: green for ‘pass,’ red for ‘not passed’ or yellow for ‘to be determined,’ the CECC said Starting today, people can download a Digital COVID-19 Certificate, with the government now requiring people at night clubs, karaoke bars and other businesses in “eight major special establishment categories” to be fully vaccinated and present a vaccination certificate. The eight categories include dance venues, massage parlors, hostess bars and saunas. Customers and service personnel at the venues have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, as they can neither avoid contact with people nor strictly observe distancing guidelines, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said. As such, both groups are required to be fully vaccinated, meaning that they must have had at least a
ORDER OF 66 JETS: Delivering the F-16s faster and enabling Taiwan to develop its fleet into one of the biggest in Asia would be based on ‘risk assessment,’ one official said The US is looking for ways to accelerate delivery of Taiwan’s next generation of newly built F-16 jets, US officials said, bolstering the Taiwanese air force’s ability to respond to what Taipei and Washington see as increasing intimidation by the Chinese military. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that they have not yet come up with a solution on how to speed up delivery of Block 70 F-16s, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp and equipped with new capabilities. The aircraft are slated to be delivered by the end of 2026. Taipei has privately expressed its wish for a faster delivery
LAWMAKERS RALLY: Beijing’s unlegislated actions breach international and WTO trade rules, and affect the basic principles of the EU single market, the letter said A group of 41 EU lawmakers on Tuesday condemned China for its political and economic coercion of Lithuania, and called on leaders of the bloc to demonstrate solidarity with Vilnius. The letter was initiated by Slovakian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Miriam Lexmann, who is cochair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. “We, the undersigned members of the European Parliament, resolutely condemn political and economic coercion of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) against Lithuania,” the letter said. The letter addressed European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and
‘GOOD FRIEND’: The Slovenian prime minister said he had visited Taiwan four or five times, and that Taiwanese should have the right to determine their future The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed Slovenia’s plan to establish a representative office in Taiwan, after Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa revealed the plan in an interview with Indian TV station Doordarshan on Monday. Taiwan is a democratic country that respects international democratic standards and international laws, the Slovenian prime minister said in the interview. Slovenia and Taiwan are working on “exchanging representatives,” he said. “Of course, this will not be on the level of embassies. It will be on the same level as many of the EU member countries.” “When I spoke with our businessmen who are trading with Taiwan, they
RSS