With the number of passengers on the Taipei MRT expected to hit 2 billion this week, hundreds of people crowded the plaza at the Tamsui MRT station yesterday to celebrate the milestone.
The "Two Billion Metro Rides" event also celebrated the MRT's achievement of being ranked best metro system in the world carrying less than 5 million passengers daily in terms of least malfunctions. The honor was bestowed by the Nova International Railway Benchmarking Group, a project that compares urban transport systems of cities all over the world.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Good manners
"Of all the metro services I've taken in 17 different countries, the MRT provides one of the cleanest environments, and services are always on time. The good manners of travelers, such as standing in line and not eating in stations, also make me proud," he said.
Looking ahead, Ma said he expected that the MRT would reduce its number of mishaps even further, increase the number of services and improve the quality of service.
Since the opening of the Muzha Line in 1996, the number of rides has grown dramatically. Total rides hit 100 million in 1998, and then 1 billion in 2002. Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) officials said that the 2 billion mark should be reached some time this week.
Easier
Watching some performances at the station, Becca Moriarty and her mother, Rosi, two Canadians who live in Tamsui, said that the MRT has made their lives easier.
"We used to live in Texas, and there is no metro system over there. I think the MRT is very convenient and very fast," Rosi said.
When asked if the MRT needed any improvements, Becca said, "I hope they can put TV and music on."
Bumpy road
Taipei's MRT has traveled a somewhat bumpy road over the past nine years.
Planning for the city's MRT started way back in 1975, and in 1987 the Taipei City Government's Department of Rapid Transit Systems was established to coordinate and contract out construction projects, with the TRTC managing network operations.
The Muzha Line opened in 1996 after eight years of construction and testing. A series of safety problems, accusations of organized crime involvement in the construction of the line, bid-rigging and costly delays clouded the operation of the line.
The department and the corporation also had a series of expensive and bitter disputes with Matra Transport, the French company contracted to build the line. The battle eventually went to court but was not settled until last month when the Taiwan Supreme Court ordered the department to pay Matra NT$1.6 billion (US$) in damages for delays and cost overruns.
On the positive side, in addition to existing routes, the Banciao-Tucheng Line is expected to open next year, and construction of new routes, including the Neihu, Sinjhuang, Lujhou and Xinyi lines, is under way.
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