Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation ─ Metro Service-Chronicles

Jan. 1, 2017	Taipei Metro successfully met the challenge posed by the large volume of passengers on New Year's Eve. The metro system transported nearly 2.64 million passengers between 6am on December 31, 2016 and 6am on January 1, 2017.
Sep. 6, 2016	“Metro 2.0—Retrospective of a World Class Metro System and its Future Prospects,” a three-day conference organized by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation, came to a close on September 8th. Approximately 250 experts and scholars from industry, government and academia, both from Taiwan and abroad, were invited to take part. The conference focused on four major topics: Network planning, rail operations and regulatory frameworks, operations and system integration, and future trends and technology development of metro systems. The conference was a successful showcase of how the Taipei Metro achieves world-class performance, while at the same time sharing its experiences with rail operators from all over the world.
Mar. 28, 2016	The "Transferring to Wonderful Taipei" exhibition opened to the public at Nanjing Fuxing Station in celebration of the Taipei Metro's 20^th anniversary.
Jan. 1, 2016	Taipei Metro successfully met the challenge posed by the large volume of passengers on New Year's Eve. The metro system transported nearly 3.03 million passengers between 6am on December 31, 2015 and 6am on January 1, 2016. Compared with the ridership on New Year's Eve last year, this year's figure saw a rise of about 66 thousand passengers.
Jul. 6, 2015	The Android version of the "Go! Taipei Metro" App was released. (The iOS version was released on Aug. 6.)
Jul. 6, 2015	Inauguration of the Bannan Line from the Dingpu Station to the Yongning Station. Operation length increased by 1.9 km and the total length of MRT lines extended to 131.1 km.
Jan. 1, 2015	Taipei Metro successfully met the challenge of New Year's Eve transport service and transported nearly 2.96 million passengers between 6am on December 31, 2014 and 6am on January 1, 2015. Compared with the ridership on New Year's Eve last year, this year's figure saw a rise of about 210 thousand passengers.
Nov. 15, 2014	Inauguration of the Songshan Line from the Ximen Station to the Songshan Station. Operation length increased by 7.9 km and the total length of MRT lines extended to 129.2 km.
Jan. 1, 2014	Taipei Metro successfully met the challenge posed by the large volume of passengers on New Year's Eve. The metro system transported nearly 2.75 million passengers between 6am on December 31, 2013 and 6am on January 1, 2014. Compared with the ridership on New Year's Eve last year, this year's figure saw a rise of about 680 thousand passengers.
Nov. 24, 2013	Inauguration of the Xinyi Line from the C.K.S Memorial Hall Station to the Xiangshan Station. Operation length increased by 5.7 km and the total length of MRT lines extended to 121.3 km.
Jun. 29, 2013	Inauguration of the Xinzhuang Line from the Fu Jen University Station to the Huilong Station. Operation length increased by 2.8 km and the total length of MRT lines extended to 115.6 km.
Jan. 1, 2013	Taipei Metro successfully met the challenge of New Year's Eve transport service and transported nearly 2.06 million passengers between 6am on December 31, 2012 and 6am on January 1, 2013. Compared with the ridership of 2.04 million last New Year's Eve, this figure was increased by 23 thousand passengers this year.
Sep. 30, 2012	Inauguration of the Xinzhuang Line from the Zhongxiao XinSheng Station to the Guting Station. Operation length increased by 2.8 km and the total length of MRT lines extended to 112.8 km.
Feb. 17, 2012	The Taipei Metro's accumulated ridership reached five billion passengers.
Jan. 5, 2012	Inauguration of the Xinzhuang Line from the Daqiaotou Station to the Fu Jen University Station. Operation length increased by 8.1 km and the total length of MRT lines extended to 110.0 km.
Feb. 27, 2011	Inauguration of the Nangang Eastern Extension Line from the Nangang Station to the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Station. Operation length increased by 1.1 km and the total length of MRT lines extended to 101.9 km.
Jan. 1, 2011	Taipei Metro successfully met the challenge of New Year's Eve transport service and transported 2.5 million passengers between 6am on December 31, 2010 and 6am on January 1, 2011. Compared with the ridership of 2.17 million last New Year's Eve, this figure was increased by 0.33 million passengers this year.
Nov. 3, 2010	With the Opening of the Luzhou Line from the Luzhou Station to the Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, the operation length of the Taipei Metro has increased by 10.3 km, with the addition of 11 stations. The entire line, with the exception of the maintenance depot, is underground. Total length of Taipei Metro system is 100.8 km.
Apr. 22, 2010	The Taipei Metro's accumulated rider-ship reached four billion passengers.
Mar. 3, 2010	The Maokong Gondola resumed normal operations.
Jan. 1, 2010	The Taipei Metro successfully met the challenge of the New Year's Eve transport service and transported nearly 2.16 million passengers between 6 a.m. on December 31, 2009 and 6 a.m. January 1, 2010. Compared with the rider-ship of 1.95 million during the previous year's New Year's Eve, this figure exhibited an increase of 210,000 passengers.
Oct. 8, 2009	Considering that citizens are more familiar with the name of the districts where the lines begin and end, the Muzha and Neihu lines renamed the "Wenshan-Neihu Line (Wenhu Line)".
Jul. 4, 2009	Inauguration of the Neihu Line from the Zhongshan Junior High School Station to the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Station. Operation length increased by 14.7 km, and total length of MRT lines extended to 90.5 km. The Neihu Line Medium-Capacity system, an extension of the Muzha Line, adopted the "Moving Block Signaling System (MBS)". To integrate with the Neihu Line, the Muzha Line's former "Fixed Block Signaling System (FBS)" and trains were upgraded to meet future operational needs. Trains can now travel directly from Muzha to Neihu, thus providing a seamless passenger service.
Mar. 10, 2009	The 10th UITP (International Association of Public Transport) Asia-Pacific Assembly was held by the TRTC on March 10 – 13, 2009. On the basis of the theme "Helping Cities Breathe – Public Transport: The Key to Urban Sustainable Development," 300 delegates from 22 cities gathered together to exchange ideas and share knowledge. The TRTC officially joined the signatories of the UITP Charter on Sustainable Development and, thereby, promised to continue balancing social, environmental and economic dimensions while developing public transport. The members of the UITPs Asia-Pacific Division also signed the Taipei Manifesto, a pledge to work toward the development of first-class public transport to create green cities over the next ten years.
Jan. 1, 2009	The Taipei Metro successfully met the challenge of the New Year's Eve transport service and transported nearly 1.95 million passengers between 6 a.m. December 31, 2008 and 6 a.m. January 1, 2009. Compared with the rider-ship of 1.93 million during the previous New Year's Eve, this figure revealed an increase of 0.02 million passengers.
Dec. 25, 2008	The opening of the Nangang Eastern Extension Line from the Kunyang Station to the Nangang Station. Operation length increased by 1.4 km and the total length of MRT lines extended to 75.8 km.
Sep. 1, 2008	TRTC was commissioned by the Taipei City Government to operate Taipei Arena, Taiwan's first international multi-functional sports center. With a capacity of 15, 000 seats, the Taipei Arena serves as an ideal venue for sports activities, exhibitions, assemblies, art performances and concerts. 6,000 square meters of business space are also located in the Taipei Arena for dining, shopping and leisure activities.
Jul. 1, 2008	The Maokong Gondola's accumulated rider-ship reached 5 million passengers. To celebrate this record and Maokong Gondola's first anniversary, the TRTC hosted a series of celebration events on July 4, 2008.
Feb. 22, 2008	The Taipei Metro's accumulated rider-ship reached 3 billion passengers.
Jan. 1, 2008	The Taipei Metro successfully met the challenge of the New Year's Eve transport service and transported nearly 1.93 million passengers between 6 a.m. December 31, 2007 and 6 a.m. January 1, 2008. Compared with the rider-ship of 1.57 million during the previous New Year's Eve, this figure was an increase of 0.35 million passengers.
Dec. 9, 2007	The Maokong Gondola's accumulated rider-ship reached 2 million passengers.
Aug. 1, 2007	The magnetic ticketing system was discontinued. Meanwhile, the Taipei Metro Fare Collection System began full adoption of the IC-AFC System.
Sep. 23, 2007	The Maokong Gondola's accumulated rider-ship reached 1 million passengers.
Jul. 4, 2007	The TRTC was commissioned to operate the Maokong Gondola, Taipei's first gondola system, by the Taipei City Government. With the addition of this new service, the TRTC entered a new era of operations that combines the metro and gondola service. The gondola system, built and installed by the French company POMA, is 4.03 km long and has four passenger stations and two ancillary stations where the gondola changes its direction.
May 22, 2007	The new Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) System, the IC-AFC system, commenced operation in all 69 stations of the network. Passengers could purchase IC Single Journey Tokens from the token vending machines in all stations, scan the tokens to enter a station, and exit at their destination station after the tokens were retrieved. In the initial stage, IC Single Journey Tokens and Magnetic Single Journey Tickets were both available; however, the magnetic ticketing system was subsequently discontinued.
Dec. 1, 2006	To reduce the likelihood of passengers falling onto the tracks and to increase system's reliability, Platform Screen Doors were first installed in Taipei Main Station and the Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, the high-capacity system's two major transfer stations.
May 31, 2006	The opening of the Banqiao Line's Phase Ⅱ and the Tucheng Line from the Xinpu Station to the Yongning Station. Operation length increased 7.4 km and the total length extended to 74.4 km.
Mar. 28, 2006	The Taipei Metro had operated for 10 years (since 1996). To celebrate its 10th anniversary of the metro system, TRTC hosted a series of activities which included issuing a commemorative ticket for the Muzha Line's 10th anniversary, painted MRT trains, a birthday party event, and the solicitation of articles to commemorate this event.
Dec. 31, 2005	In line with New Year's activities, the Taipei Metro adopted 24-hour operation. The transport volume rose to 1.56 million, which was 0.13 million more than the previous year's New Year's day volume and that broke all previous records.
Aug. 16, 2005	The Taipei Metro's accumulated rider-ship reached two billion passengers. To celebrate this, the TRTC held a celebration activity at the Tamsui Station on Aug. 13, 2005.
Aug. 2, 2005	The second-stage deployment of a wireless broadband network was completed.
Jul. 21, 2005	A letter from Mr. Richard Anderson, the project manager of the Managing Associate of Railway Technology Strategy Centre, indicated that according to the latest 2004 KPI criteria, Taipei Metro was the No. 1 metro system in its reliability among all members of CoMET and Nova.
Jul. 15, 2005	One-day EasyCards were introduced. The first edition had two versions, the regular one and the commemorative one.
Apr. 20, 2005	Hosted the 2005 phase Ⅶ Nova annual meeting and symposium with the Taipei Society for Traffic Safety. In addition to Nova delegates, the Hong Kong MRT and members of CoMET were also invited. Besides the TRTC, 18 representatives from nine other city metros of seven countries joined this event. All of the delegates signed the manifesto to "build a safe and efficient transit system." In the symposium, about 200 MRT operators, government officials, scholars and experts from all over the world were present to share their experiences of operation management and system safety. Meanwhile, impacts on urban development and new transit technologies were also discussed.
Apr. 1, 2005	Passengers with EasyCards transferring between Metro and bus services received a fare discount. The allowed time to enjoy the fare discount when transferring between Metro and bus was reduced from two hours to one.
Feb. 1, 2005	Since Feb. 1, 2005, the new Metro etiquette campaign was launched for passengers' safety at the Taipei Main Station, the Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, and the Taipei City Hall Station. Passengers were required to stand at least one meter from the platform edge when waiting for trains.
Dec. 24, 2004	Completion of first stage of wireless broadband installation in 30 metro stations, four underground shopping malls, and the Beitou Depot.
Dec. 23, 2004	The first double-decker bicycle racks in Taiwan made their first appearance at the Beitou Metro Station. Use of these racks is free.
Nov. 10, 2004	The inauguration of the Linking Passage between the Zhongxiao Fuxing Station and the Pacific SOGO Department Store.
Sep. 29, 2004	The opening of the Xiaobitan Branch Line from the Qizhang Station to the Xiaobitan Station. Operation length increased 1.9 km and the total length extended to 67 km.
Jul. 29, 2004	For its 10th anniversary, the TRTC hosted a series of activities including a birthday party, the opening of 24-hour customer service center, the exhibition of tickets and posters, the shooting of a documentary film about the TRTC, the publishing of retrospective report, and the issuing of commemorative tickets, etc.
Jul. 27, 2004	As part of its 10th anniversary activities, the TRTC hosted a symposium regarding transport technology.
Jul. 24, 2004	As part of its 10th anniversary activities, the TRTC hosted an employee's family activity.
May 28, 2004	The Taipei City Government approved the TRTC's investment in the Metro Consulting Service Ltd.
Nov. 1, 2003	Implemented fare discount for passengers transferring between the Metro and buses.
Oct. 6, 2003	The TRTC's transport service was awarded the "Award for Quality Service" at the Fifth Award for Quality Service of the Executive Yuan.
Jan. 10, 2003	The heavy-capacity system's "maintenance service" was accredited with the ISO 9001 International Quality Accreditation.
Nov. 16, 2002	Inauguration of the Taipei Zoo Station's expansion project and new entrance/exit.
Sep. 30, 2002	The Metro system, buses and parking lots adopted the "IC EasyCard" ticketing system.
Jul. 14, 2002	The Beitou Depot Training and Recreation Center was opened to the public.
Jun. 12, 2002	The Taipei Metro, some bus services and parking lots were integrated with the "IC EasyCard" ticketing system.
Apr. 29, 2002	"Uninterrupted GSM Mobile Phone Service" launched in the Taipei Metro.
Apr. 25, 2002	Hosted the 2002 World Metro Symposium and Exhibition, Taipei.
Feb. 7, 2002	A new corporate identity system, "Metro Taipei," is announced as the TRTC's new brand.
Jan. 14, 2002	The Muzha Line's "EMUs maintenance service" was accredited with ISO 9002 International Quality Accreditation.
Oct. 16, 2001	The Muzha Line's "Electro Mechanics Device Maintenance Service" was accredited with ISO 9002 International Quality Accreditation.
Sep. 17, 2001	Typhoon Nari hit northern Taiwan, bringing record rainfalls to flood Taipei. A total of 16 metro stations, the Nangang Depot, and the heavy-capacity system's control center and administration building were flooded. Some lines had to suspend service as a result.
May 25, 2001	Heavy-capacity system's "passenger transport service" accredited with ISO 9002 International Quality Accreditation.
Jan. 4, 2001	Accumulated passenger transport volume broke 500 million.
Dec. 30, 2000	The opening of the entire Nangang Line. Operation length increased 3.2 km and total length extended to 65.1 km.
Dec. 22, 2000	Service hours extended to midnight.
Aug. 31, 2000	Extension of the Banqiao Line to the Xinpu Station and opening of the Xiaonanmen Line. Operation length increased 5.5 km and total length extended to 61.9 km.
Jan. 1, 2000	43-hour operation across the New Year's Day period broke the operating records and avoided the risk of Y2K successfully.
Dec. 24, 1999	The opening of the Banqiao Line from the Longshan Temple Station to the Ximen Station and the Nangang Line from the Ximen Station to the Taipei City Hall Station. Operation length increased 7.7 km and total length extended to 56.4 km.
Nov. 11, 1999	The opening of the entire Xindian Line. Operation length increased 8.4 km and total length extended to 48.7 km.
Oct. 18, 1999	Commencement of Metro's shuttle bus operation.
Dec. 24, 1998	Opening of the Zhonghe Line and the Xindian Line North Section from the Taipei Main Station to the Guting Station. Operation length increased 7.9 km and total length extended to 40.3 km.
Dec. 22, 1998	Accumulated passenger transport volume broke 100 million.
Jul. 20, 1998	The Muzha Line's "passenger transport service" was accredited with ISO 9002 International Quality Accreditation.
Dec. 25, 1997	The opening of the Tamsui Line extension to the Taipei Main Station. Operation length increased 0.7 km and total length extended to 32.4 km.
Mar. 28, 1997	The opening of the Tamsui Line from the Tamsui Station to the Zhongshan Station, the first heavy-capacity rapid transit line in Taiwan. Operation length increased 21.2 km and total length extended to 31.7 km.
May 30, 1996	The contractor MATRA withdraws from the Muzha Line.
Mar. 28, 1996	The opening of the Muzha Line, the first driverless medium-capacity rapid transit line in Taiwan. Operation length was 10.5 km.
May 15, 1995	Finished entire system checking before opening of the Muzha Line.
Jul. 27, 1994	The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation was incorporated.
Dec. 18, 1990	The establishment of the Preparatory Office of the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation.
Dec. 15, 1988	Groundbreaking for the Taipei Metro.
Mar. 27, 1986	Approval on the initial route network plan of the Taipei Metropolitan Rapid Transit Systems by Executive Yuan.