In celebration of the opening of the MRT Xinyi Line, Taipei City’s Department of Information and Tourism is offering free guided tours of Xinyi District (信義) on weekends until Dec. 29.
The line, which opened on Nov. 23, runs past major city attractions in the district including Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
Department Commissioner Sun Ting-lung (孫廷龍) said the department is offering free tours starting this weekend to introduce the district to local and foreign visitors.
The department has set up a visitor information center at Exit 5 of the line’s Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station.
Weekend tours will take place between 10am and 2pm, with each outing lasting about 90 minutes.
The free tours are available in Chinese and English and introduce the district’s architectural specialties, public art and design works. People can try out the YouBike public bicycle rental program, and tour the veterans’ villages and handcraft fairs around the area, Sun said.
Each session is limited to 30 participants, who will receive a gift at the end of the tour, he added.
People interested in taking the tour can call the 1999 Citizen Hotline, ext. 3378, or the MRT Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station Visitor Information Center on 02-2758-6593.
The line, which has seven stations — Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Dongmen, Daan Park, Daan Station, Xinyi Anhe, Taipei 101-World Trade Center and Elephant Mountain — integrates with the Tamsui Line and allows passengers to travel directly between Beitou and Elephant Mountain stations in about 35 minutes. Passengers who use an EasyCard can get free rides until Dec. 23.
According to Ling Chi-yao (凌啟堯), director of Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s public relations division, ridership on the line was about 180,000 yesterday.
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