Went down to one of the Kaohsiung MRT stations the other day with another foreigner friend, and a Taiwanese friend who is an engineer for the KMRT. He told us we were probably some of the first “non-engineer” foreigners to get a chance to take a look around. We got to cruise around a few of the stations, and actually took a couple rides on the fully functional trains.
When I say fully functional, I mean the electronic name signs are working (in the station and in the cars) and announcements (in the station and in the cars) are informing you (in 4 languages - Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka & English) when and where the next train/stop is coming and going. The alarms/signals for the doors of the train opening and closing are running. (Much different than the distinctive sound of the Taipei MRT. The trains are stopping at every station along the way. The A/C is working. Even the ticketing computers (touch screen uber-coolness - most rides will be about $30NT, to a max ride end to end of $60NT) and ticket/swipe card stalls are functional. Our friend says the trains are constantly running all the time for training, and testing, etc.
The stations themselves bear a strong resemblance to the Taipei MRT stations, but naturally a bit more modern looking. The trains are pristine white inside, and the blue/green seats are molded with “individual” butt grooves. None of the advertisements were put in place yet though. Some of the artwork in the stations is pretty nice too. I’d recommend seeing the “glass curtains” at the Kaohsiung Int’l Airport station, its pretty cool to see.
Anyways, the ride itself was smoother than Taipei’s MRT, but it seemed a bit noisy, but then again, we were riding on a completely deserted train, so it was probably just me being picky. From what I’ve been told, we can expect the Red (North-South) Line to open around Chinese New Year, and the Orange (East-West) Line about a year after that.
HANDS DOWN WINNER FOR BEST STOP NAME: OIL REFINERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
speaking of typos, we actually found a few typos on the maps inside some of the stations, and told our friend, he was like “oh, take a picture and email it to me, then i can forward it over to one of my bosses…it’ll make me look good!” hahaha…gotta love it!
Good to hear that (especially considering all the “news” surrounding it and who supposedly pocketed what), even if I live up north.
In a positive way, when all is done, Kaohsiung will have a much quicker MRT -> International Airport -> outside world, than Taipei currently does (still buses and limosines).
Hopefully, there won’t be no “bra-fixing” like what happened to the Muzha MRT line when it first began running.
Enjoy your travel efficiency when it’s operational!
(P.S. I read a few years ago in the chinese newspaper of a plan for a street railcar (like in Europe) link from KH or from Pingtung City all the way to Kenting. A BOT project. Anyone in the south know what’s up with that? Now that would be cool. Railroad link all the way from Taipei to Kenting, starting with HSR.)
[quote=“CTaitung”]
(P.S. I read a few years ago in the Chinese newspaper of a plan for a street railcar (like in Europe) link from KH or from Pingdong City all the way to Kending. A BOT project. Anyone in the south know what’s up with that? Now that would be cool. Railroad link all the way from Taipei to Kending, starting with HSR.)[/quote]
Never heard anything about that but hope it’s true.
There has also been a tram line planned for Kaohsiung city for a few years but I havn’t heard anything about it in a long time. Anyone know about it?
Here’s a video of it’s planned route: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09RzJTmnwq8
Looks like the Kaohsiung tram may not be getting built afterall.
Probably someone figured out a tram would be a nightmare with scooters tryingto cut in front of it all the time and getting run over.
If you guys only knew how bad I’m dying for that orange line . . . I live in Daliao without a scooter. Does anyone know where exactly the Daliao depot is? I’ve never seen the subway run past Fongsahn.
Any news on the opening of the Kaohsiung MRT? I thought they might open it before the elections, but it hasn’t happened. Maybe it will happen before the Presidential election.
Since the presidential election’s more about Hsieh, it would make more sense for them to open it before then instead of now; that way he can claim credit for it.
Some friends in Kaohsiung told me that you can take it from the airport for 2 stops only. The rest is still being built. I was down there about 3 weeks ago, and they were working 24/7 on station construction - the roads were still a mess due to the work.
A seaport with no cruise lines. An airport with a 12,000 foot runway and little else (including a lot of international flights) and an almost Guggenheim. Ah, the joys of Taichung life
who is an engineer for the KMRT. He told us we were probably some of the first “non-engineer” foreigners to get a chance to take a look around. We got to cruise around a few of the stations, and actually took a couple rides on the fully functional trains.
- Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka & English) when and where the next train/stop is coming and going. The alarms/signals for the doors of the train opening and closing are running. (Much different than the distinctive sound of the Taipei MRT. The trains are stopping at every station along the way. The A/C is working. Even the ticketing computers (touch screen uber-coolness - most rides will be about $30NT, to a max ride end to end of $60NT) and ticket/swipe card stalls are functional. Our friend says the trains are constantly running all the time for training, and testing, etc.
