A new section of the Danhai Light Rail Transit system in New Taipei City is to begin operating today, extending the service to Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf (淡水漁人碼頭), a popular scenic spot.
Following an opening ceremony at 10am, service on the Blue Seaside Line near the Tamsui River (淡水河) would start at 2pm, New Taipei Metro Corp said.
The new 2km section of the light rail network connects at Binhai Shalun Station with the existing Green Mountain Line, which has 11 stations and runs from Hongshulin MRT Station to Kanding Station, the company said.
Photo provided by New Taipei Metro Corp
It means that people would be able to travel directly from Hongshulin (紅樹林) to Fishermen’s Wharf, it said.
The service from Hongshulin is to alternate between Kanding (崁頂) and Fishermen’s Wharf every seven to eight minutes, from 6am to midnight.
The new line is the first metro route in the nation that offers passengers a clear view of the Taiwan Strait, and also includes a section called the Blue Seaside Bridge that runs 120.7m across a stream between the Taipei University of Marine Technology and Shalun stations, New Taipei Metro said.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, there would be light shows on the bridge from 6pm to 10pm, the city’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems said.
With the expansion of the light rail system, ridership is expected to increase from 9,000 to 44,000 per day, department deputy head Lin Yao-chang (林耀長) said.
Until Dec. 14, people with electronic metro passes would be able to travel free of charge between the Taipei University of Marine Technology, Shalun and Tamsui Fishermen’s Wharf stations, New Taipei Metro said.
The seaside line is scheduled to be completed in 2024, after an additional 5.71km section between Fisherman’s Wharf and Tamsui MRT Station is constructed.
The full plan for the Danhai light rail system is to build four lines — Blue, Green, Bali and Sanzhi — at a total cost of NT$15.3 billion (US$530.38 million).
The network is part of New Taipei City’s plan to develop its 1,748.7-hectare Danhai New Town (淡海新市鎮) area, which was launched in 1992 with a goal of attracting a population of 300,000 by 2036.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS