TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More than 20,000 passenger trips were recorded on the New Taipei Metro Sanying Line during a six-hour preview run Tuesday, CNA reported.
New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) said the city would continue improving the line based on rider feedback. He said officials wanted to make the service as convenient and reliable as possible for the public.
New Taipei Metro Corporation General Manager Wu Kuo-chi (吳國濟) said the line recorded 20,731 passenger trips from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. He said trains ran smoothly and all services departed on time.
Liberty Times reported that the Sanying Line uses a fully automatic driverless system and two-car trains. Wu said New Taipei Metro added trains when needed to handle crowds, with the shortest headway reaching 2.2 to 3 minutes.
New Taipei Transport Department Commissioner Chung Ming-shih (鍾鳴時) said bus transfers at stations operated normally. Some Youbike stations briefly ran short of bikes, but staff quickly moved more bikes to affected sites, he said.
New Taipei MRT Department Commissioner Lee Cheng-an (李政安) said many people came to experience the new line during the preview run. Some passengers rode the line more than once, while crowds eased after peak hours.
Free trial operations began Wednesday and will continue through Aug. 31. Trains will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily during the two months.
Wu said the trial period is meant to test the line under real passenger demand and collect feedback from riders. He said crews will use the hours when trains are not running to adjust train doors, stopping accuracy, acceleration, and braking.
Hou thanked the public for visiting the line’s 12 stations and said most comments had been positive. He said minor issues reported by riders were being addressed and did not affect train operations.
