Taichung MRT

History

Planning of the Taichung MRT started in 1990 with a study conducted by the Taiwanese Bureau of Housing and Urban Development. The study was completed in 1998 and suggested the implementation of three routes (Red, Green, and Blue). The project was formally approved by the Executive Yuan of the ROC government on 23 November 2004. The city government signed a joint development contract with the Taipei City Government on 12 December 2007.

Meanwhile, the Taichung City Government started their own planning of more lines and decided that the much cheaper BRT system would be the future of mass transit in Taichung. Since the corridor of the originally proposed Red line was partially served by TRA commuter services, the Blue line corridor was chosen as a first step to implement BRT in Taichung.

Construction of the first line, the Green line, had been paid for and was expected to begin in October 2007, though it was pushed back and started construction on 8 October 2009. The 16.7 km section of the Green line was scheduled for completion by 2020 and includes 18 stations.

On 9 March 2011, Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced that it had won a joint order with Alstom Transport SA (France) and CTCI Corp. (Taiwan) to supply 36 units consisting of two-car, driverless trains totaling 29.5 billion yen. While Kawasaki will oversee construction, Alstom will focus on signaling and CTCI will supply the electrical system.

On 16 November 2020, the Green line started trial runs. The first day of trial runs attracted more than 70,000 rides. The trial runs were suspended on 21 November 2020 when a railway coupler snapped in half. On 10 March 2021, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen announced that trial runs would resume on 25 March, and the opening ceremony would be a month after. The Green line officially began operation as scheduled on 25 April 2021.

On 29 April 2025, the Taichung City Government announced that the Blue line would begin electromechanical construction in June of that year, with urban planning work completing by the end of the year. Construction officially began on 26 June 2025.

Network

Green line

Main article: Green line (Taichung MRT)

The Green line between Beitun and Wuri is an elevated railway with driverless electric trains. The route is 16.5 km long and contains 18 stations. It stretches from Beitun Main Station on Songzhu Road in Beitun District along Beitun Road, Wenxin Road, and Wenxin South Road to the Taichung HSR station in Wuri District. It was expected to cost NT$53.491 billion and was built by the Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems. In 2011, the planned total cost for the project was NT$51.39 billion (including land acquisition costs), split between the local and central governments.

The Green line began trial operation on 16 November 2020 and was supposed to start formal operations on 19 December 2020. The trial run was suspended on 19 November 2020 when a railway coupler snapped in half. The trial resumed on 25 March 2021 and the line officially opened on 25 April 2021.

Fares

As of 2020, fares for the Taichung MRT start at NT$20 and are capped at NT$50. The fare increases by NT$5 for every 2 km traveled.

Future expansion

Blue line

Main article: Blue line (Taichung MRT), Taichung BRT

In 2014, the Blue line began service as a BRT system running between Providence University and Taichung railway station. BRT service ended on 8 July 2015. A proposal for the Blue line MRT was approved by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in late January 2024. Construction of the Blue line is expected to take ten years, and cost NT$161.51 billion, of which of which NT$67.56 billion was to be funded by the Executive Yuan. The planned Blue line is to start at the Port of Taichung, travel eastward through Shalu and Xitun, before terminating in central Taichung at the New Jianguo Market. Construction began in 2025 and was expected to take nine years.

Orange line

A fourth line was planned in 2009 to connect the city with Taichung Airport. However, after multiple proposals to build a MRT and BRT line were rejected by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the city government turned to an LRT system. While the system was still being planned, they switched to a MRT system again. In 2019, MRT project substituted for LRT project. In 2021, LRT project switched back to the original MRT project again.

Kenan Aiqin Bridge (科湳愛琴橋), which crosses over National Freeway 1 and Provincial Highway 74, has a space on the center median allocated for the line.

Red line

The Red Line is being planned.

Purple line

The Purple Line is being planned.

Network map

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References

References

1. (24 April 2021). "中捷通車／台中捷運綠線大事記". 中央社.
2. "Taichung Metropolitan MRT System Wuri-Wenxin-Beitun Line Construction Project". Department of High Speed Rail, MOTC.
3. (2007-12-12). "Taipei and Taichung signed a contract for the cooperation of the Taichung MRT development project(2007-12-12)". Taichung City Government.
4. (2009-10-08). "Taichung MRT System Breaks Ground". China Economics News Service.
5. (2011-03-10). "Kawasaki Heavy, Others Snag Taiwan Order For Train System". Nikkei.
6. (17 November 2020). "Taichung MRT Green Line draws 70,000 on first day of free rides | Taiwan News | 2020-11-17 13:49:00".
7. (22 November 2020). "台中捷運重大故障 22日起暫停試營運".
8. (10 March 2021). "Taiwan's Taichung MRT line gets rid of China-made couplers, launch set for April 25".
9. Scanlan, Sean. (2025-04-29). "Taichung to begin construction of MRT Blue Line".
10. Su, Mu-chun. (2025-06-26). "Construction on Taichung MRT Blue Line begins".
11. (December 2008). "Taipei, Taichung City & the Department of Transportation jump start the Taichung MRT". Compass Magazine.
12. (2008-11-01). "臺中都會區捷運系統－ 烏日文心北屯線暨場、站聯合開發.". Department of Rapid Transit Systems.
13. "Taichung MRT Green line enters systems integration stage".
14. (8 November 2020). "Maximum one-way fare for Green Line in Taiwan's Taichung set at NT$50 | Taiwan News | 2020-11-08 20:55:00".
15. (10 November 2020). "Taiwan's Taichung to offer one-month free ride on MRT Green Line | Taiwan News | 2020-11-10 14:38:00".
16. (2015-03-24). "等了3個月…台中大眾運輸網洗牌". United Daily News.
17. (29 January 2024). "MOTC approves Taichung Metro's proposed Blue Line".
18. (June 1, 2020). "臺中市水湳40M-11號道路與中科東向道路銜接工程-科湳愛琴橋".
19. (March 8, 2021). "捷運不走「科湳愛琴橋」了怎麼辦？中市規劃替代方案中..".