The Taichung Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system launched a trial service yesterday, with many hailing it as an important first for the city that has been a long time coming.
The MRT’s Green Line is 16.71km long, runs from Beitun Main Station in the northeast to Taichung High Speed Rail Station in the southwest and has 18 stations.
Starting yesterday, free rides are being offered to passengers with electronic metro passes for one month until the line officially opens.
Photo: CNA
A high-school student surnamed Lin (林) said he arrived at Taichung City Hall Station early in the morning for a ride on the new service.
Being able to commute to and from school, like students in Taipei, will make his life easier, Lin said.
Another passenger, surnamed Wang (王), said that Taichung residents have waited a long time for a metro system.
A Taichung native surnamed Yang (楊), who is studying at a university in Tainan, said he returned home just to try the new MRT yesterday.
The MRT system carried about 4,700 passengers in the first two hours after it opened at 7am, the Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Co said.
In the first three weeks, from yesterday to Dec. 6, the trains are to operate between 7am and 8pm daily, running every five minutes during peak hours and every eight minutes in off-peak hours.
On Dec. 7, normal service is to begin, in preparation for the official opening on Dec. 19, and free rides are to end on Dec. 15, the company said.
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) hailed the MRT system as a milestone in the development of public transport in Taichung.
The plan to build an MRT system in the city was initiated in 2004, and construction began in 2009 during the tenure of then-Taichung mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), who was succeeded in 2014 by Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), currently the minister of transportation and communications.
Lu was elected mayor in 2018.
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