Tests of trains on New Taipei City’s Sanying Line have entered the key phase of driverless operation simulations, city Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said on Monday, as the new metro line’s completion is expected before the end of this year, for services to commence next year.
The Sanying Line is 85.51 percent completed, Hou said as he inspected the ongoing tests on the new metro line and traveled on a train from Sansia (LB06) to Yingge (LB08) stations.
The driverless operation simulations of what would also be known as the Light Blue Line in Taipei and New Taipei City’s metro network currently run between Hengsi (LB04) and Yingge (LB08) stations, before system-wide tests of the 12-station line begin in October, the mayor said.
Photo: CNA
The goal is to wrap up construction by the end of this year, and to open the line next year, he said.
The new line connects to the Blue Line at Dingpu Station in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城) and it is expected to cut local residents’ commute time to Taipei by about 20 minutes, he said.
New Taipei City Councilor Chiang I-chen (江怡臻), who represents Tucheng, said local residents have been eagerly awaiting the Sanying Line to drive local development, and she expects the new line to help the recruitment of medical staff at En Chu Kong Hospital in Sansia District (三峽).
Meanwhile, Cho Kuan-ting (卓冠廷), a New Taipei City councilor from Yingge District (鶯歌), said the noise trains make when making turns is too loud and there should be more barriers installed along the mostly elevated line.
The Sanying Line is the first medium-capacity metro line project run independently by the New Taipei City Government, and a further extension from Yingge to neighboring Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan would connect to the Taoyuan Metro Green Line which is under construction, Hou said.
The driverless operations are similar to the services of the Wenhu Line (Brown) in Taipei and the Circular Line (Yellow), as well as the Green Line in Taichung, all projects overseen by the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems.
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