by Eddie Zhan
The Taipei Rapid Transit System has been in operation since March 28, 1996, beginning with the Mucha line. One year later, the Tamshui Line was born. Both have successfully taken the place of buses and cabs, and now two new lines are open, including a station entrance right next to our campus. The new line runs through Taipei Station, under Roosevelt Road, and connects to trains running both to Chungho and Tamshui. The trains are operated by the ATC system, which is composed of two 3-car units (2 motor cars, 1 trailer car) respectively; each car has 60 seats and can accommodate up to 370 passengers, 2220 passengers in total. It takes merely 18 minutes from Taipei Station to Hsintien (37 minutes for the Tamshui Line), with the highest speed of 80 km/hr. The Hsintien Line provides a much better way for commuters coming and going through the usually congested Roosevelt Road, and is especially convenient for NTU students. The underground is not only fast and convenient, but provides great safety as well. Under the ground, there are no pedestrians, motorcyclists, and crazy bus drivers; no traffic congestion, traffic lights, crashed airplanes, and God knows what else. Normally, you can avoid all that and have a happy ride even if you are a newcomer to Taipei. If the weather is bad and it’s pouring cats and dogs, you’ll be safe inside. Don’t worry even if it snows, although it doesn’t snow in this country. And don’t worry about getting loat or someone charging you too much; just take the train and you’ll get there in a flash! Other than that, it also solves the major problem of Taipei’s traffic. Since more and more people are using the underground, there will be fewer and fewer vehicles on the roads. (Maybe taxi drivers on Roosevelt Road will get lonely.) Another problem solved is the lack of parking. Why would you need to park if you don’t drive? You might start to get interested and wonder where and when on earth modern civilization started to have the world’s first underground railway. Don’t be surprised, but the underground has served people for more than a century! On 10 January 1863 the Metropolitan Railway Company opened the first line in London, running between Paddington and Farringdon Street – with trains hauled by steam engine. And the famous Thames Tunnel, the first such structure anywhere in the world, became a railway tunnel in 1869 and now carries the East London Line under the Thames. London’s modern underground network is complete and complex; you can go almost anywhere without coming up for air! In some major stations, you can change to intercity trains to other parts of the UK. Even better, you can buy a One Day Ticket for the whole day, allowing unlimited travel within specific zones. In addition, there are also weekly and monthly tickets. However, Taipei’s system is closer to New York’s subway, where one fare equals one journey. The underground has its own culture. In London, people stand on the left side of the esclator and listen to the rhythmic London accent reminding them to “mind the gap”; in New York, street artists perform; in Tokyo, people-pushing is a popular morning exercise; in Taipei, we have new underground shopping malls. In any event, take a ride on Taipei’s underground!
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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