The Tainan Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is to be a monorail, the first in Taiwan, the Tainan Bureau of Transportation said on Thursday last week.
The Tainan City Government has submitted draft regulations governing the technical specifications of monorail systems to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to handle the unprecedented project, the bureau said.
Monorail designs are compact and quiet, fast to build, and have a small environmental footprint compared with the steel wheel and bogie design commonly used in Taiwanese cities, it said.
Photo: Hung Jui-chin, Taipei Times
Nations across the world operate monorail metro systems, and modern designs often feature separate walkways for maintenance crews and passenger evacuation, enabling easier maintenance and repair, and improved safety, it said.
Monorails do not require any new electric power systems or engineering methods, which minimizes the potential for technical problems, it added.
Taiwan’s narrow streets and the increasing need to preserve cultural heritage suggest that monorails are a better fit not only for Tainan, but also for other cities, the bureau said.
The proposed regulations are based on the rules governing MRT system construction standards, it said.
The objectives of the rules include standardization, modularity to ensure compatibility with future technology and materials, reduced maintenance costs, as well as encouraging domestic investment, it said.
Ergonomics would be emphasized to enhance operator safety and passengers’ experience, the bureau said.
The proposed regulations would align with the government agenda of spurring growth in the manufacturing sector, it said.
The planned blue line of the Tainan MRT, with 10 stations and one maintenance facility across 8.39km of track, would be the first part of the system the city would build, it said.
The blue line would serve the city’s densely populated Yongkang (永康), Rende (仁德) and East (東區) districts, it said, adding that officials expect to open bidding for construction contracts next year.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS