Circular light rail

The Circular light rail (Chinese: 環狀輕軌) is a light rail loop line in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, operated by the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation.^[7] The line stretches over a length of 22.1 kilometers and has 38 stations. The southern part of this line makes use of the defunct tracks of the Kaohsiung Harbor Railway Line. Construction cost was forecasted to be 16.5 billion New Taiwan dollars.^[8]

Circular light rail
CAF Urbos 3 trams parked at Cianjhen Star
Overview
Owner	Kaohsiung City Government
Locale	Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Stations	38^[1]
Website	krtco.com.tw
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Kaohsiung Metro
Operator(s)	Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation
Depot(s)	Cianjhen Depot
Rolling stock	CAF Urbos 3^[2] Alstom Citadis 305^[3]
Daily ridership	10 000^[4]
Ridership	3,360,000 (2018)
History
Commenced	16 October 2015 (2015-10-16) (phase 1)
Opened	16 October 2015^[5]
Technical
Line length	22.1 km (13.7 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Character	At-grade, elevated
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	Electric capacitor
Operating speed	70 km/h (43 mph) maximum^[6]
Map Legend Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital Longhua Elementary School Heart of Love River Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts Aozihdi Red line Neiwei Arts Center Sinshan Elementary School West Coast line Wanzihnei Museum of Fine Arts Love River Makadao Dingshan Street Gushan Kaohsiung Industrial High School Shu-Te Home Economics & Commercial High School Gushan District Office Science and Technology Museum Wenwu Temple Science and Technology Museum West Coast line Shoushan Park St. Joseph Hospital Sizihwan Wukuaicuo Orange line Hamasen Kaisyuan Park Penglai Pier-2 Department of Health Dayi Pier-2 Wucyuan Elementary School Love Pier Kaisyuan Wuchang Love River Kaisyuan Ersheng Glory Pier LRT Depot Cruise Terminal depot Kaohsiung Exhibition Center Lizihnei Software Technology Park Kaisyuan Rueitian Commerce and Trade Park Cianjhen Star Kaisyuan Red line Dream Mall Kaisyuan Jhonghua This diagram: view talk edit

Circular light rail
Traditional Chinese	環狀輕軌
Simplified Chinese	环状轻轨
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Huánzhuàng Qīngguǐ Wade–Giles Huan²-chuang⁴ Chʻing¹-kuei³ Tongyong Pinyin Huánjhuàng Cingguěi Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Fàn-chhong Khiâng-kuí Southern Min Hokkien POJ Khoân-chōng Kheng-kúi

C1 Station (9 March 2015)

C3 station (27 August 2016)

C11 station (22 July 2017)

LRT C8 Station and the 85 Sky Tower

Phase I consists of the section of the line from Station C1 to Station C14, of which Stations C3 and C14 are transfer stations to the KMRT Red line and Orange line, respectively. Construction of Phase I began on 4 June 2013.^[9] Stations C1 to C14 were open on a test-basis (free for the public^[10]) from August 2015, and commenced formal operations in September 2017.^[11][12] From November 2014 onwards, the CAF Urbos trams used in these tracks were tested in this line parked on multiple occasions.^{[citation needed]}

Phase II construction of the northern section partially began on 12 January 2021^[13] after the underground relocation of the Kaohsiung urban railway. The northern part of Phase II was scheduled to be opened in June 2021 along with the rest, but was delayed until 1 January 2024 due to local opposition.^[14][15]

History

Phase	Segment	Commencement	Length (km)	Stations
I	Lizihnei - Hamasen	4 July 2016^[9]	8.7^[15]	14
II Phase 1	Hamasen - Gushan District Office Lizihnei - Kaisyuan Park	12 January 2021^[15]	4.1^[15]	9
II Phase 2	Gushan District Office - TRA Museum of Fine Arts	16 December 2021	1.8	3
II Phase 3	TRA Museum of Fine Arts - Heart of Love River	5 October 2022	2.4	4
II Full	Heart of Love River - Kaisyuan Park	1 January 2024	5	7

Stations

Code	Station Name		Connection	District
	English	Chinese
— ↑ Loop line towards Depot ↑ —
C1	Lizihnei	籬仔內		Cianjhen
C2	Kaisyuan Rueitian	凱旋瑞田
C3	Cianjhen Star	前鎮之星	via Kaisyuan (R6)
C4	Kaisyuan Jhonghua	凱旋中華
C5	Dream Mall	夢時代
C6	Commerce and Trade Park	經貿園區
C7	Software Technology Park	軟體園區
C8	Kaohsiung Exhibition Center	高雄展覽館
C9	Cruise Terminal	旅運中心	(planned)	Lingya
C10	Glory Pier	光榮碼頭
C11	Love Pier	真愛碼頭		Yancheng
C12	Dayi Pier-2	駁二大義
C13	Penglai Pier-2	駁二蓬萊		Gushan
C14	Hamasen	哈瑪星	via Sizihwan (O1)
C15	Shoushan Park (ALIEN Art Centre)	壽山公園(金馬賓館當代美術館)
C16	Wenwu Temple	文武聖殿
C17	Gushan District Office	鼓山區公所
C18	Gushan	鼓山	Gushan
C19	Makadao	馬卡道
C20	TRA Museum of Fine Arts Station	臺鐵美術館	Museum of Fine Arts
C21A	Neiwei Arts Center	內惟藝術中心
C21	Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts	美術館
C22	Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital	聯合醫院
C23	Longhua Elementary School	龍華國小
C24	Heart of Love River	愛河之心	via Aozihdi (R13)
C25	Sinshang Elementary School	新上國小		Zuoying
C26	Wanzihnei	灣仔內		Sanmin
C27	Dingshan Street	鼎山街
C28	Kaohsiung Industrial High School	高雄高工	(planned)
C29	Shu-Te Home Economics & Commercial High School	樹德家商
C30	Science and Technology Museum	科工館	Science and Technology Museum
C31	St. Joseph Hospital	聖功醫院		Lingya
C32	Kaisyuan Park	凱旋公園	via Wukuaicuo (O8), via Cultural Center (O7)
C33	Department of Health	衛生局
C34	Wucyuan Elementary School	五權國小
C35	Kaisyuan Wuchang	凱旋武昌
C36	Kaisyuan Ersheng	凱旋二聖		Cianjhen
C37	LRT Depot	輕軌機廠
— ↓ Loop line towards Lizihnei ↓ —

Rolling stock

 

CAF Urbos

 

Citadis 305

The line's fleet consists of nine CAF Urbos trams that are powered by supercapacitor banks.^[16] The tramway cars are 34 meters (112 ft) in length, and are able to transport a total of 250 passengers (seated, and standing).^[8]

15 Alstom Citadis 305 tramway cars entered service in November 2020.^[17]

Ticket

Unlike the Kaohsiung Metro Red and Orange Lines, the Kaohsiung Light Rail is charged at a lower rate. As of January 2019, the fare for each light rail is NT$30. There is special rate of NT$10 by using a digital wallet (such as iPass, EasyCard, icash, etc.). Card readers are available at each station and inside of tramway. When paying the fare by the e-ticket (digital wallet), passengers are only charged one of them at each time. When paying by cash, passengers can purchase tickets at the ticket vending machines at each station for the ticket inspector to check.

Previous light rail demonstration project

 

The Siemens Combino vehicle was used for light rail demonstration at Central Park, Kaohsiung in 2004.

In 2004, the Kaohsiung City Government and Siemens built a temporary two-station circular light rail line in Central Park, operated by a single trainset, to demonstrate the feasibility of building a light rail system in Kaohsiung City.^{[citation needed]} It was meant to alleviate some residents' concerns that light rail would negatively impact their surroundings by producing excessive noise and hindering normal traffic flow.^{[citation needed]} This Siemens Combino vehicle would later become the D2 Class operated in Melbourne, Australia.

See also

• Danhai light rail
• Transportation in Taiwan
• Kaohsiung Metro

References

1. "Kaohsiung Light Rail". urbanrail.net. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
2. "Kaohsiung picks CAF to build catenary-free trams". Railway Gazette International. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
3. "The 1st tram for Kaohsiung arrives in Taiwan". 4 September 2018. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
4. "Transport statistics". stat.motc.gov.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 2019-11-10.
5. "領先全台 高雄輕軌4日正式通車 | 社會". 新頭殼 Newtalk (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 4 July 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
6. "KAOHSIUNG LRV". CAF. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
7. "Light Rail System - Project Content". Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
8. . Kaohsiung City Government. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
9. "Kaohsiung begins circular light rail construction". Focus Taiwan News Channel. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
10. Tim Berge (16 October 2015). "Kaohsiung LRT Opens to Public". ICRT FM.100. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
11. . Info Taiwan. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
12. James Chuang (8 June 2015). "Kaohsiung light rail line set to go full circle". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
13. "New light rail stop - Focus Taiwan". focustaiwan.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 12 January 2021.
14. "Kaohsiung light rail system to be completed by 2023: mayor - Focus Taiwan". focustaiwan.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 2021-01-02.
15. "New Kaohsiung circular light rail section to go into service Jan. 12 - Focus Taiwan". focustaiwan.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 2021-01-08.
16. "Trams: KAOHSIUNG TRAMWAY". CAF. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
17. "Alstom Citadis X05 trams enter service on South Circular LRT in Taiwan". Railway Technology. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-03.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kaohsiung LRT Circular Line.

• Kaohsiung LRT Network Map 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
• Kaohsiung LRT Project(Phase I) Project Brief
• LRT Pages in Kaohsiung Metro Construction Bureau
• The newest Kaohsiung LRT proposal clip
• Older Kaohsiung LRT proposal clip