The days when apprehensive citizens claimed
they would never set foot inside an MRT station
and naysayers grimly predicted the line's
collapse are long gone. Now planners need
to work out whether Taiwan's other cities
stand to gain from going the same route.
In 1999 a poll conducted by Asiaweek ranked Taipei City the second most livable city in Asia. Three years earlier, the metropolis barely registered on the survey's radar: Taiwan's capital was described as an "urban nightmare," where a trip across town was "a test of endurance" and the air "seemed to get thicker by the day." What changed? The answer is simple: in a few short years, new mass rapid transit (MRT) systems have eased the notorious traffic snarls and helped improve air quality, putting Taipei up with world-class cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. Don Gillman, a San Francisco native and nine-year resident of Taipei, is just one observer to have noticed progress in the city's public transportation system. "The MRT has made a big difference. It's improved traffic and air pollution," he says. "I take it every day because it's more relaxing and safer than driving a motorcycle. Also, it's very efficient and always clean."
The MRT's six lines are now vital transportation arteries, and they have affected more than road conditions and air pollution. "Since the MRT was launched, we've witnessed various changes in people's lifestyles," says Yen Pang-chieh, vice president of the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC). "Life is more convenient. Commuting times are shorter, people queue to get on and off the trains in an orderly fashion, carriages are comfortable and clean, and underground shopping malls are attached to some stations." Communities surrounding MRT stations are also thriving, with restaurants, banks, recreation facilities, and retail outlets enjoying the benefits of commuter traffic.
But Taipei's rapid transit system did not have a happy start. The Mucha Line, the first to be put into operation, was plagued with construction delays and contract disputes. During the line's fifth anniversary festivities in March this year, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou alluded to the early problems. "Since this was the city's first MRT line, we learned things the hard way. Fortunately, our efforts have paid off." There was much to celebrate, as the 10.5-kilometer line now transports 100,000 passengers a day compared with 30,000 in the start-up period.
Preliminary planning for the MRT began as early as 1975, but it was more than ten years before actual work began. The Cabinet approved the project in 1986 and allocated a budget of NT$441.7 billion (US$13.4 billion). The Taipei City Government's Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) was established in 1987 to handle the planning, design, and construction of the systems. Finally, the TRTC was set up in 1994 to manage daily operations.
Bidding for the project was tainted by the involvement of organized crime, faulty construction of the support pillars led to the need for costly repairs even before the trains were on the tracks, and the French contractor for the carriage system, Matra Transport, abandoned the project following a lengthy legal battle. Once construction of the line was completed there were a number of accidents including fires, computer system shutdowns, derailments, and several tire blowouts, all of which seriously undermined public confidence in the system.
DORTS quickly became a target for criticism and derision. "Early media reports on the MRT were all very negative. That put a lot of pressure on us," DORTS Director-General Frank Fan admits. "It's taken a lot of determination and hard work, but I think we now provide a quick and reliable transportation service. We've won public trust, and the system is something Taiwanese can be proud of."
The NT$20 billion-dollar (US$606 million) system has gone from being a joke to something of a gem. "I didn't ride the Mucha Line when it first opened. I waited for about six months before giving it a try because I had doubts about its safety," says a commuter who wishes to be identified only as Mr. Chen. "But now I have considerable confidence in the system. And since the trains are always on time, I can sleep in for fifteen minutes in the morning. Besides, it's a very comfortable ride."
Despite the praise, Mayor Ma still sees room for improvement. "We'd like to add more trains to the line so frequency can be increased from a train every five minutes to one every two minutes or less," he says. "We'd also like to see more drivers of cars and motorcycles take better advantage of the MRT." The need to get people off the streets and on the transit system is obvious. By the end of 2000 there were 1.43 million automobile drivers and 2.67 million motorcyclists in the Taipei area.
The six routes, namely the Mucha, Tamsui, Nankang, Panchiao, Hsintien, and Chungho lines, have a combined length of 67.2 kilometers spanning Taipei City and Taipei County. Vehicular traffic on these routes has eased considerably, particularly along the Panchiao Line, to the city's southwest, where bridge traffic was extremely heavy during rush hour. Most lines operate at high capacity (six carriages per train with a maximum of 368 passengers per carriage). The Mucha Line, however, runs at medium capacity (four carriages per train with a maximum of 114 passengers per carriage). On an average day, close to 900,000 people pass through the system's turnstiles, paying between NT$20 and $65 (US$0.60 and $2) for a one-way journey.
DORTS is planning to add about twenty kilometers to the existing network to complete the first stage of development by 2010 and has set 2021 as a target completion year for four additional lines that will extend the total track length to over 150 kilometers. Daily passenger volume is expected to reach 2.2 million by the time the new Hsinyi, Sungshan, Hsinchuang, and Luchou Lines are fully operational. Transportation officials are optimistic that at least 50 percent of commuters will choose to ride the MRT once all extension lines are finished, compared with the 26 percent projected for 2010 when the first phase is ready. "Once the network is completed, people will have an MRT station within ten minutes of their homes and workplaces," DORTS' Fan predicts. "And they can get to the city's main areas in less than forty minutes. This will drastically save on travel time and improve people's quality of life."
Getting passengers is one thing, keeping them happy is another. The TRTC's campaign involves upgrading safety, promoting cleanliness, improving on-time records, and posting clearer signage. "Based on our calculations, the MRT's on-time record is better than 99 percent. Delays are usually not more than thirty seconds," says the TRTC's Yen. Passenger Don Gillman has noticed the effort. "It seems as though they are constantly looking for ways to make improvements," he notes. "For instance, putting up signs in English, maintaining the cleanness of bathrooms, and designating safety protection areas for women late at night. I think the system and services here are better than those in my country."
Hsu Tien-pen, a professor at National Taiwan University's Department of Civil Engineering, points out that the city's bus system was in terrible shape before the MRT began running. "It wasn't until the MRT came along that the public turned their attention to mass public transportation, because commuters were basically driving their cars and motorcycles," he says. "The MRT also helped improve the image of public transportation. People used to think that buses were only for those who couldn't afford any better. But everyone takes the trains, even well-dressed people."
A comprehensive mass transportation network, however, should not stop at a rapid transit system, Hsu says. The MRT should be the backbone of a greater network that includes a light rail system and an extensive bus service. The advantage of a light rail system is the relatively low construction and operation costs, as it shares existing roads with vehicles, a kind of bus lane with tracks.
Lee Yung-chan, a professor at Chung Hua University and a member of the Taipei City Government's Urban Planning Commission, is another advocate of integration. The rapid transit system has improved the city's traffic situation, but it still lacks accessibility to other modes of transportation. "The MRT must be a part of a well-rounded network instead of a lone network," he notes. "To increase its efficiency the city must provide convenient and appropriate transfer links in high-capacity areas." He also favors a light rail system, noting that the low start-up and operating costs, minimal impact to the environment, and high-volume capacity make it an ideal complement to the MRT.
Because there is no provision for such a system under the Mass Rapid Transit Law, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) is working on revising it. Frank Fan, director-general of DORTS, says his agency is conducting a feasibility study on a light rail system. But for the time being, the TRTC is coordinating with bus companies to provide better services. "The system must be convenient, reachable, fast, and cheap," the TRTC's Yen Pang-chieh notes. "Linking bus routes to train stations will help in all four areas and is therefore one of our major tasks."
Some buses have already been rerouted, and passengers who use the MRT can receive credit on their bus cards (amounting to one free bus ride). Parking lots for cars, motorcycles, and bicycles have been built near some stations, allowing people to park and ride. But all that is not enough, notes Lee Yung-chan. In his ideal world, everyone would have two bicycles--one to ride from home to the nearest station, and another to ride from the destination station to the workplace. This type of commuting would be beneficial to public health and is environmentally friendly. What sounds like a pipe dream may actually become reality. The Taipei City Government's Bureau of Transportation recently announced plans to build designated bike lanes around certain MRT stations. "The bureau is looking at possible areas within two kilometers of the stations to turn into bike-only lanes," says Chen Jung-ming, a bureau official.
Additional rapid transit plans include an MRT line connecting Chiang Kai-shek International Airport to downtown Taipei, a distance of almost thirty-seven kilometers, as well as two inner-city transit lines in Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan. These projects will be privately developed on the build-operate-transfer model. Ever Transit International Co., which is responsible for the airport line and has submitted a project report to the MOTC, is awaiting approval from the Cabinet. Mass rapid transit systems are also being discussed for Taichung, Tainan, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu.
The NT$172.2 billion (US$5.2 billion) network in Kaohsiung will consist of an east-west line and a north-south line with a total length of nearly forty-three kilometers and thirty-seven stations. The groundbreaking ceremony for construction took place in January, and developers have optimistically slated completion for the end of 2006. The system is being planned by the Kaohsiung City Government and will be constructed, operated, and maintained by the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC).
"We're racing against time. As a private-sector participant in the project we are confronted with greater financial pressure. We need to exercise tight control over production costs and construction schedules," says KRTC President David Du. "And once the system starts, we'll need to maximize volume and increase revenues early in the operation." There have been problems in the coordination and construction of the project so far. Land acquisition and the removal of existing underground pipes and cables have been the most troublesome. Some residents living near the planned lines have also protested against the project.
Determined to learn from past mistakes, the KRTC has invited Taipei's DORTS and TRTC to participate in its technical consultant team. "With lessons learned in Taipei, we think we'll be better equipped to anticipate possible difficulties and come up with innovative countermeasures," Du states. "That'll save a lot of time and effort, and keep us on the right track."
Chou Lie-liung, director-general of the Kaohsiung City Government's Department of Mass Rapid Transit, believes that as Taiwan's second largest city and busiest port, Kaohsiung has a lot of potential for development. The new train service will improve the city's transportation infrastructure, air pollution, and overall standard of living. That, combined with the scheduled construction of the high-speed railway slated to connect Taipei with Kaohsiung, will make the southern city a better place to live and do business. Kaohsiung Major Frank Hsieh agrees. "After the MRT is completed, residents will enjoy one of the comforts of living in a modern international metropolis. And the city as well as southern Taiwan will 'emerge from its cocoon like a butterfly.'"
As the story goes, when Asiaweek began ranking the most livable cities in 1996, correspondents in Taipei choked on the word "livable." But in the last few years, the city has managed to join an elite group in the top five. "Taiwan's traffic is often a topic of interest among visiting foreigners. And it tends to be negative," National Taiwan University's Hsu Tien-pen says. "But I think the MRT has improved not only traffic conditions, but also the overall quality of life and the environment. We can only look forward to more of the same."