Taipei City’s new MRT Neihu Line will start operations at 9am today, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) said yesterday.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) will preside over the opening ceremony at Nankang Exhibition Hall Station and invite employees from Taipei City’s Rapid Transit Department to take a ride from the station to Taipei Zoo on the Muzha Line.
In celebration of the opening of the Neihu Line, the city government encouraged the public to take the MRT using an EasyCard from today through Monday at a discounted price.
People who take any MRT line during the three-day period will enjoy a 50 percent discount.
A free trial run of the new line from last Sunday to Tuesday uncovered several malfunctions in the system.
Local residents and those who had participated in the trial run complained about the noise of the line and the cramped space inside the cars.
Hau promised to solve most of the problems before the official opening today, and said the city government would continue its efforts to reduce the noise of the system.
To facilitate the opening of the new line, the Muzha Line will suspend operations from 6am to 9am today before the official opening of the Neihu Line for system alignment.
Two free bus routes along the Muzha Line will be provided from 6am to 2pm today to serve passengers.
The 14.8km Neihu Line, which has 10 above-ground stations and two underground stations, is an extension of the Muzha Line starting from Zhongshan Junior High School Station.
Travel time between Neihu Station and Taipei Main Station will be 28 minutes, while a trip between the Nangang Exhibition Hall and Taipei Zoo MRT stations will take approximately 40 minutes.
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