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Free rides on Taipei MRT Circular Line start Sunday

Taipei MRT Circular Line begins operations on Jan. 19 with free rides

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Map showing new yellow Circular Line.

Map showing new yellow Circular Line. (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The first section of Taipei's much-anticipated new Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Circular Line, or Yellow Line (code Y), is slated to open to the public on (Sunday) Jan. 19 with free rides.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) announced on Thursday (Jan. 16) that pending the formal approval of six final items that were designated for improvement by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments and a formal opening ceremony, free rides on the new line will commence on Sunday, reported UDN.

During this free trial phase, trains will initially run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with gaps of 8 minutes between trains. The ministry said that once the free test runs end, the trains will arrive at intervals of between four and seven minutes during peak rush hours, while they will run at five to 10-minute intervals during off-peak hours.

Free rides on Taipei MRT Circular Line start Sunday
(Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. photo)

The electronic tickets for passengers taking the new line during the trial period will not be charged when entering and exiting its stations. However, those who transfer from and to other metro lines will be charged the regular amount, as there is no way to determine whether they only took the yellow line or not.

The first part of the line includes 14 stations and one depot between Dapinglin Station in the south and New Taipei Industrial Park Station in the west, with trains passing through the New Taipei City districts of Xindian, Zhonghe, Banqiao, and Xinzhuang. The new line will see interchanges with several other lines already completed, such as the Airport MRT Line, or still under construction.

The purpose of the Circular Line is to enable commuters traveling from one area of outer Taipei or New Taipei City to another to avoid having to first connect through downtown Taipei. This first section of the yellow line connects the Green, Orange, and Blue lines.

Free rides on Taipei MRT Circular Line start Sunday
(Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. photo)

The first 15.4-kilometer segment of the line was originally due to be up and running in June of 2018, but the opening was later postponed until this month. The cost of the first stage was NT$69.97 billion (US$2.32 billion), CNA reported.

Free rides on Taipei MRT Circular Line start Sunday
(Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. photo)