Starting today, instrumental music is to be broadcast at eight stations along the MRT’s Tamsui-Xinyi Line to notify passengers of services and lighten their moods, the metro operator said.
The eight stations are Taipei 101/World Trade Center, Xinyi Anhe, Daan Park, NTU Hospital, Taipei Main Station, Zhongshan, Shuanglian and Minquan W Road, with each station featuring a unique theme, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said.
The music features harpsichords, xylophones, kalimbas and celestas using light motifs and uplifting melodies, which will likely lighten passengers’ mood, the company said.
The company said that the new feature is the result of a collaboration with the Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs, while plans to play piped-in music at stations along the Bannan, Songshan-Xindian and Zhonghe-Xinlu lines have been made.
To avoid disturbing people living close to MRT stations or causing confusion, music will not be played at elevated stations, terminal stations or stations with platforms taking services on different lines at the same level — such as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Ximen stations — the company said.
The department said that it had asked composers to create “MRT-inspired” music in an effort to bring an artistic touch to commuter’s lives.
The department said it hopes this feature will allow people to see Taipei’s unique urban vibes in a new light.
Summer Lei (雷光夏), a musician who wrote and played music for the stations, said that she wanted to create the feeling of taking a day trip out of town for passengers.
Lei said that as a Tamkang University student, she often had to ride trains along what is now the Tamsui-Xinyi Line and it always felt like an excursion, as the train would pass by rice paddies, mango gardens and swamps.
“I wrote four versions of the music and made at least five to six revisions to each,” Lei said.
“I, too, use the MRT line, so it would be me suffering if I had not done my best,” the musician added.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin
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