Wenshan Line, Taipei Metro

Wenshan Line, Taipei Metro
Wenshan Line
文山線

Linguang station, as of 2008.
Overview
Type People mover system
System Taipei Metro
Status Operational
Locale Taipei, Taiwan
Termini Zhongshan Junior High School
Taipei Zoo
Stations 12
Daily ridership 91,400 (December 2008)[1]
Operation
Opened March 28, 1996
Owner DORTS
Operator(s) Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation
Rolling stock VAL 256,[2] Bombardier Innovia APM 256[3]
Technical
Line length 10.9 km (6.8 mi)
Track gauge Rubber-tired, 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification 1500V Third-rail DC
Route map
Legend
Template:Muzha Line (Taipei Metro) RDT
Wenshan Line, Taipei Metro
Traditional Chinese 文山線
Simplified Chinese 文山线

The Taipei Metro Wenshan Line (previously known as the Muzha Line before October 8, 2009) is an elevated, medium-capacity line in Taipei, Taiwan. It was the first line on the Taipei Metro, consisting of 12 stations over 10.9 km.[4] Opened on March 28, 1996, after construction delays compounded with legal tussles, the fully elevated people mover system is driverless and fully automated.[5] A full-length journey on the line takes 22 minutes, and it is labelled as part of the Brown Line on the Taipei Metro. Currently, services are operated using 4-car Bombardier Innovia APM 256 rolling stock[3] as well as the retrofitted VAL 256 trains and directly connect to the Neihu Line.

History

Construction of the Wenshan Line began in December 1988 at a cost of NT$42.6 billion.[5] It was plagued by controversy, cost overruns and technical problems from its development up to a few years after its opening.[6] Originally slated to commence passenger service in December 1991, its revenue operation was repeatedly delayed up to 28 March 1996 owing to numerous accidents. Public confidence was shakened as incidents of lightning strikes, computer failures, two instances of rolling stock derailment and catching fire each were reported during the testing phase.[4][5] In 1999, cracks were found on the elevated pillars forcing the line to shut down temporarily.[6]

One of the largest suppliers for the system, Matra, which supplied the VAL 256 rolling stock and electrical systems for the line sued the Department of Rapid Transit Systems of the Taipei City Government for costs overruns claiming to have resulted from the latter failing to provide the necessary infrastructure to build the line.[5][7] Subsequently, the company pulled out of the operation of the line in 1994.[5] Chen Shui Bian, then Mayor of Taipei declared that progress and operation of the line would continue despite the walkout in the now-popular catchphrase "馬特拉不拉，我們自己拉" (lit: If Matra doesn't pull, we'd pull it ourselves). After a 12-year-long legal tussle, in 2005, Matra was awarded NT$1.6 billion (approx. US$50 million) in damages by the Supreme Court of the Republic of China.[8][9]

Services on the Wenshan Line began with two-car operation of the VAL 256 coupled together. Eventually, increasing patronage on the system led to operation in four-car configurations. The opening of Maokong Gondola in 2007 have also boosted passenger numbers travelling on the line to Taipei Zoo for transfer.

The Wenshan Line is connected to the Neihu Line, which opened in July 2009. It connects to Neihu and Taipei Songshan Airport, which currently has no rapid transit access.[4] Since an alternative contractor Bombardier was awarded to supply the rolling stock and the signaling system for the new line, the Wenshan Line's signaling system was converted to suit the new communication-based train control (CBTC) CITYFLO 650 to allow both the old Matra rolling stock and the new Bombardier rolling stock to run in co-existence.[4] On December 19, 2010, fifty-one pairs of retrofitted VAL256's (from the Matra rolling stock) will begin testing on the entire line.[10] After over half a year of testing, the additional trains will decrease the time between trains at rush hour from 2 minutes to 72 seconds and bring the total number of trains operating on the line to 152 pairs.[10]

Rolling stock

Main article: Taipei Metro VAL 256

The line was operated by the 2-car driverless VAL 256 built in 1993. A total of 102 cars were built with a maximum capacity of 114 passengers each. The fleet ran on rubber-tyred track at a maximum speed of 80 km/h.

With the opening of the Neihu Line, the entire line switched over to the new automatic train control CITYFLO 650 using Innovia APM 256 trains (produced by Bombardier). As of December 19, 2010, trials are being run on retrofitted VAL 256 trains modified to run on both the Muzha and Neihu Lines.[11] The trains are expected to fully enter revenue service after testing by December 26, 2010.[11][12] On December 26, 2010, the line will operate with 6 pairs of the retrofitted VAL 256's and 25-29 pairs of the Innovia 256's. By December 27, the ratio is expected to increase, with 10 pairs of VAL 256's and 40 pairs of the Innovia 256's.[12]

Stations

All stations are fully equipped with platform screen doors and disabled-accessible facilities.

CodeStation NameTransferLocation
EnglishChinese
← Continues through  Neihu 
BR12 Zhongshan Junior High School中山國中 Zhongshan
Songshan		Taipei
BR11 Nanjing Fuxing南京復興  Songshan 
BR10 Zhongxiao Fuxing忠孝復興  Bannan-Tucheng  Da'an
BR09 Daan大安  Tamsui-Xinyi 
BR08 Technology Building科技大樓
BR07 Liuzhangli六張犁 Da'an
Xinyi
BR06 Linguang麟光
BR05 Xinhai辛亥 Wenshan
BR04 Wanfang Hospital萬芳醫院
BR03 Wanfang Community萬芳社區
BR02 Muzha木柵
BR01 Taipei Zoo動物園  Circular  (TBD)
 Maokong Gondola 

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Taipei Metro Wenshan Line.
  1. ↑ "TRTC Statistics show that 100,000 people on average use the Muzha MRT line every weekday and 70,000 people ride it on weekends.". 英文中國郵報報導於. 2008-12-07.
  2. ↑ "Taipeï - en - Siemens". Siemens AG.
  3. 1 2 "Automated Metro - Taipei, Taiwan". Bombardier Transportation.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Taipei Metro – Approaches and strategies in managing an extensive and diverse rail framework, Richard C.L. Chen, TRTS, retrieved 26 April 2008
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Mucha line celebrates fifth birthday, Ko Shu-ling, Taipei Times, 29 March 2001, p. 2
  6. 1 2 Once again, MRT breaks down, Erin Prelypchan, Taipei Times, 4 December 1999, p. 2
  7. ↑ High Court orders compensation in fight over MRT line, Joy Su, Taipei Times, 9 April 2004, p. 1
  8. ↑ Matra wins final appeal against city government, Rich Chang, 24 July 2005, Taipei Times, p. 1
  9. ↑ 木柵捷運馬特拉案　北市府認賠20億　每位市民賠790元, ETTV News, 17 August 2005
  10. 1 2 文湖線馬特拉舊車 今天檢核 (in Chinese). 自由時報. 2010-12-19. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  11. 1 2 "Wenhu line integrated for faster service". The China Post. 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
  12. 1 2 文湖線馬特拉列車 26日上線 (in Chinese). The China Times. 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
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