The Xiaobitan line of Taipei's mass rapid transit (MRT) system opened yesterday amid protests from a small number of residents over noise.
Holding placards reading "MRT is a bad neighbor," 10 protesters claiming to represent people living along the route attempted to hand a letter of protest to Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
PHOTO: CHEN TSEH-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
An embarrassed Ma promised he would order the Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) to address the problem.
PHOTO: CHEN TSEH-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Noise protest
The promise, however, failed to satisfy People First Party Legislator Cheng San-yuan (
Cheng said that Ma's reputation would plummet and threaten his bid to run for the presidency in 2008 unless the Taipei City Government solved the noise problem.
Lo, meanwhile, asked the city government to offer a 50-percent discount for MRT rides by students and staff of schools in the neighborhood to compensate for their "suffering."
According to Chang Chi-te (常岐德), commissioner of DORTS, a series of soundproofing projects are under way along the line and will help reduce the noise.
While sound-muffling walls have been built at the opening to the underground section of the line, construction of similar walls on the elevated section will only start in November and is expected to be finished in April next year, Chang said.
4,140 passengers/hour
The 1.9-km line connects Xiaobitan Station to Qizhang Station on the Xindian Line and has a capacity of 4,140 passengers per hour, DORTS officials said.
The interval between trains is eight minutes to 12 minutes during peak hours, 12 to 15 minutes during the off peak hours , and 15 to 20 minutes before 7am and after 10pm.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan