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.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS