Zhonghe–Xinlu line

The Zhonghe–Xinlu or Orange line (code O) is a metro line in Taipei operated by the Taipei Metro, named after the districts it connects: Zhonghe, Xinzhuang and Luzhou. The line starts at Nanshijiao in Zhonghe, passes through central Taipei, then splits into two branches: one to Huilong via Xinzhuang and one to Luzhou.

Zhonghe–Xinlu line
Daqiaotou station platform
Overview
Other name(s)	Orange line
Status	In service
Locale	Taipei and New Taipei, Taiwan
Termini	Nanshijiao Luzhou, Huilong
Stations	26
Service
Type	Rapid transit
Services	Nanshijiao–Huilong (Xinzhuang branch) Nanshijiao–Luzhou (Luzhou branch)
Operator(s)	Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation
Depot(s)	Zhonghe Luzhou Xinzhuang
Rolling stock	C371 (6-car)
History
Opened	24 December 1998 (1998-12-24) (Nanshijiao–Guting) 3 November 2010 (2010-11-03) (Zhongxiao Xinsheng–Luzhou) 5 January 2012 (2012-01-05) (Daqiaotou–Fu Jen University) 30 September 2012 (2012-09-30) (Guting–Zhongxiao Xinsheng) 29 June 2013 (2013-06-29) (Fu Jen University–Huilong)
Technical
Line length	29.3 km (18.2 mi)
Character	Underground
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC third rail
Operating speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
Route map Legend Luzhou Depot O54 Luzhou O50 Sanmin Senior High School Xinzhuang depot ( future ) ( future ) O21 Huilong O52 St. Ignatius High School (  ) O20 Danfeng O19 Fu Jen University O18 Xinzhuang (  ) O17 Touqianzhuang O16 Xianse Temple Erchong Floodway O51 Sanhe Junior High School (   ) O15 Sanchong National Freeway 1 O14 Cailiao O50 Sanchong Elementary School O13 Taipei Bridge Tamsui River O12 Daqiaotou O11 Minquan West Road (  ) O10 Zhongshan Elementary School O09 Xingtian Temple O08 Songjiang Nanjing (  ) (  West Coast ) (  ) O07 Zhongxiao Xinsheng (  ) ( ) O06 Dongmen ( ) ( ) O05 Guting ( ) Xindian River O04 Dingxi O03 Yongan Market O02 Jingan (  ) Zhonghe Depot O01 Nanshijiao This diagram: view talk edit

Zhonghe–Xinlu line
Traditional Chinese	中和新蘆線
Simplified Chinese	中和新芦线
Literal meaning	Central and new reed line
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōnghé–Xīnlú Xiàn Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Chûng-fò–Sîn-lù Sien Southern Min Tâi-lô Tiong-hô–Sin-lô͘ Soàⁿ
Orange line
Traditional Chinese	橘線
Simplified Chinese	橘线
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jú Xiàn Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Chhâng Sien

The southern section between Nanshijiao and Guting opened in 1998. It was then connected to the Tamsui Line. Due to heavy traffic for residents in the districts of Luzhou and Sanchong travelling in and out of central Taipei, a metro line was planned to meet this urgent need.^[1] The line would eventually consist of two branches which connects to Guting via central Taipei. The extension fully opened in 2012.

The entire line, with the exception of the maintenance depot, is underground.^[2]

History

In June 1992, the construction of the Zhonghe Line began. It was the most difficult to construct among all lines of the Taipei metro. The tunnels running through Zhonghe-Yonghe area had to pass under narrow streets, skyscrapers and crowded blocks, with limited spaces for stations above ground. As a result, the whole neighborhood traffic had its so-called "Dark Ages" when the cut-and-cover method was used for station platforms, concourses and crossovers during the 1990s. Besides the river-crossing section, the work suffered from biogas below the waterfront. After the construction, Zhonghe Line became more costly than all the other lines, NT$6.249 billion per kilometer.^[3]

Since the line opened for service on 24 December 1998, it has been the most important access to downtown Taipei for nearly half a million of commuters who live in the district.

On 15 January 2011, Dongmen station was still under construction while the track for the section from Zhongxiao Xinsheng to Guting via Dongmen had already been laid.^[4] At the time, Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation Vice Bureau Chief Chang Pei-yi noted that there was a possibility of opening the line for service while skipping both Dongmen and Guting stations, thus allowing for through service on the Orange Line.^[4] However, this did not occur. The section opened for service on 30 September 2012 along with Dongmen Station.

On 18 December 2011, the 8.2 km (5.1 mi) Daqiaotou to Fu Jen University section passed final inspections by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.^[5] It opened for service on 5 January 2012.^[6] On its first full day of service, the line served 82,000 passengers.^[7] The line is expected to serve 100,000 passengers daily.

As of April 2016, the Xinzhuang Depot was still under construction and expected to be finished in January 2018, completing the Xinzhuang Line.^[8]

Although the line was called the Luzhou Branch Line during construction, the name was changed to simply the Luzhou Line before it opened for service.

• 2002: The Luzhou and Xinzhuang lines begin construction as part of Phase II of the Taipei Metro.^[9]
• September 2007: Track laying begins for the Luzhou Line.
• 25 September 2008: Since track laying has been completed for the Luzhou Line, tracks are laid for the segment of the Xinzhuang Line within Taipei.
• 1 April 2009: Train testing begins for the Luzhou Line and the segment of the Xinzhuang Line within Taipei.
• 22 August 2009: It is announced that although the line was to come into operation before the Spring Festival of 2010, due to malfunctions in the Neihu Line, service for the line would be pushed back to September 2010.^[10]
• 24 April 2009: The Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) denies saying that the line would open before the Spring Festival in 2010. The Executive Yuan sets the line to begin service by 31 December 2010. DORTS says it will push forward with an anticipated September 2010 opening date.^[11]
• 2 March 2010: DORTS says that the line is planned to open by 1 September 2010 in order to coincide with the Flora Expo and will use the Taoyuan Airport MRT's power as backup, so that by November 2010 the Xinzhuang Line can begin train testing through Touqianzhuang.^[11]
• May 2010: Construction for Sanchong Elementary School, Sanhe Junior High School, Luzhou, and Luzhou Depot is completed. Construction for Sanmin Senior High School and St. Ignatius High School is near completion.
• 30 June 2010: Construction completes on all stations.
• July 2010: Train testing begins.
• September 4–5, 2010: The Luzhou Line and Xinzhuang Line Taipei City portion to Zhongxiao Xinsheng undergoes initial public testing.^[12]
• 3 November 2010: The line opens for service with the opening of the Luzhou to Zhongxiao Xinsheng section.^[13] A free trial period for the line ran until 2 December 2010.^[9]
• 3 December 2010: The Luzhou to Zhongxiao Xinsheng began revenue service.^[9]
• 5 January 2012: The Xinzhuang Line New Taipei City from Fu Jen University to Daqiaotou Station opened for a free trial period for a month.
• 5 February 2012: The Fu Jen University to Daqiaotou section began revenue service.
• 29 September 2012: Last day of the Beitou–Nanshijiao route upon opening of Dongmen station.
• 30 September 2012: The Guting–Zhongxiao Xinsheng section opened for a free trial period for a month connecting the Zhonghe Line to the Xinlu Line. Zhonghe Line passengers traveling to Tamsui Line had to change trains at Guting and would also get a 30% discount for a month.
• 30 October 2012: The Guting–Zhongxiao Xinsheng section began revenue service.
• 29 June 2013: The Xinzhuang Line was extended from Fu Jen University Station to Huilong Station. A free trial period for the Fu Jen University–Huilong began for a month.
• 29 July 2013: The extension to Huilong began revenue service.

Impact

Since its first three weeks after opening, the line (along with the Xinzhuang Line section) had reached a total ridership of over 3 million passengers, with an average of 157,000 passengers per day.^[14] It is expected to cut travel time between Luzhou and Taipei by at least half,^[15] with travel time between Luzhou and Taipei Main Station cut down to 17 minutes.^[16] The system surpassed an annual ridership of 500 million for the first time on 29 December 2010, widely attributed to the opening of the new line.^[17] The line has been effective in relieving congestion, with a 24% increase in average vehicle speed crossing Taipei Bridge (to Taipei) during rush hour since the opening of the line.^[18] During the initial one-month trial, bus routes that ran parallel to the metro route experienced a 40% decrease in ridership, although bus ridership is expected to rise again after the end of the free trial.^[19]

In anticipation of the opening of the new line, property prices along the route have risen by 36% since 2008.^[20] Although small businesses along the line (most notably in Zhongshan and Datong, two older districts) have benefited from increased business during the free trial period, analysts noted that the initial business boon may only be short-lived and it may be years before these areas see real benefits as a result of the new line.^[21]

Services

As of December 2017, the typical off-peak service is:

• 7 trains per hour (tph) between Huilong and Nanshijiao
• 7 tph between Luzhou and Nanshijiao

Stations

• Operation Services
  • X - Xinzhuang Line (Bound for Huilong via Xinzhuang)
  • L - Luzhou Line (Bound for Luzhou)

Services		Code	Station Name		Travel time to previous station (s)^[22]	Stop time at station (s)^[22]	Date opened	Transfer	Districts	City
X	L		English	Chinese
●	●	O01	Nanshijiao	南勢角	—	25	1998-12-24		Zhonghe	New Taipei
●	●	O02	Jingan	景安	103	25	1998-12-24
●	●	O03	Yongan Market	永安市場	88	25	1998-12-24		Zhonghe, Yonghe
●	●	O04	Dingxi	頂溪	100	25	1998-12-24		Yonghe
●	●	O05	Guting	古亭	187	40	1998-12-24		Daan, Zhongzheng	Taipei
●	●	O06	Dongmen	東門	192	40	2012-09-30
●	●	O07	Zhongxiao Xinsheng	忠孝新生	118	40	2010-11-03
●	●	O08	Songjiang Nanjing	松江南京	114	35	2010-11-03		Zhongshan
●	●	O09	Xingtian Temple	行天宮	75	35	2010-11-03
●	●	O10	Zhongshan Elementary School	中山國小	89	35	2010-11-03
●	●	O11	Minquan West Road	民權西路	72	45	2010-11-03		Datong, Zhongshan
●	●	O12	Daqiaotou	大橋頭	75	35	2010-11-03		Datong
●	｜	O13	Taipei Bridge	台北橋	115	25	2012-01-05		Sanchong	New Taipei
●	｜	O14	Cailiao	菜寮	93	25	2012-01-05
●	｜	O15	Sanchong	三重	84	25	2012-01-05
●	｜	O16	Xianse Temple	先嗇宮	142	25	2012-01-05
●	｜	O17	Touqianzhuang	頭前庄	105	25	2012-01-05		Xinzhuang
●	｜	O18	Xinzhuang	新莊	93	25	2012-01-05
●	｜	O19	Fu Jen University	輔大	130	25	2012-01-05
●	｜	O20	Danfeng	丹鳳	110	25	2013-06-29		Xinzhuang, Taishan
●	｜	O21	Huilong	迴龍	159	—	2013-06-29	(constructing)	Guishan, Xinzhuang	New Taipei / Taoyuan
	●	O50	Sanchong Elementary School	三重國小	148^[a]	30	2010-11-03		Sanchong	New Taipei
	●	O51	Sanhe Junior High School	三和國中	104	30	2010-11-03
	●	O52	St Ignatius High School	徐匯中學	82	30	2010-11-03	(constructing)	Luzhou
	●	O53	Sanmin Senior High School	三民高中	87	30	2010-11-03
	●	O54	Luzhou	蘆洲	110	—	2010-11-03

Notes

1. to Daqiaotou

References

1. . Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation. 2010-11-01. Archived from the original on 2011-08-13. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
2. "Chronicles". english.metro.taipei. from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
3. 《都市捷運：規劃與設計（下）》，張志榮著
4. "捷運趕通車 蘆洲線擬跳東門接古亭". The Liberty Times. 2011-01-15. from the original on 2011-01-18. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
5. "MRT Xinzhuang line passes final inspection despite minor flaws". Taiwan News. 2011-12-18. from the original on 2015-06-10. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
6. "MRT Xinzhuang line begins commercial service". Focus Taiwan News Channel. 2012-01-05. from the original on 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
7. "新莊線通車首日旅運8.2萬人次 整體營運順利". 中國廣播公司. 2012-01-06. from the original on 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
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9. "Taipei MRT's Luzhou Line to start operations Wednesday afternoon". Focus Taiwan News Channel. 2010-11-02. from the original on 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
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11. "北捷蘆洲支線9月通車 新莊線試駛頭前庄站(2010.03.02)". from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
12. . Archived from the original on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
13. "MRT Luzhou line to open Nov. 3". Taipei Times. 2010-10-28. from the original on 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
14. "蘆洲線試乘 已逾305萬人次". UDN. 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
15. "President offers congratulations on opening of MRT Luzhou Line". Focus Taiwan News Channel. 2010-11-03. from the original on 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
16. "捷運系統蘆洲線簡介" (PDF). Department of Rapid Transit Systems, Taipei City Government. 2007-12-01. (PDF) from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
17. "Record breaking year for Taipei's MRT network". The China Post. 2010-12-30. from the original on 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
18. 張家嘯 (2010-11-26). "蘆洲線試乘破305萬 橘色路線圖沒標錯". CardU 焦點新聞. from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
19. "蘆洲線捷運搶客 公車載量掉四成". The Liberty Times. 2010-12-08. from the original on 2011-11-09. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
20. "Luzhou Line property value rises through the roof". The China Post. 2010-09-03. from the original on 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
21. "Luzhou Line boom may be short-lived: vendors". Taipei Times. 2010-11-27. from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
22. "臺北捷運系統相鄰兩站間之行駛時間、停靠站時間 | 政府資料開放平臺". data.gov.tw (in Chinese). from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.