Transportation Deployment Casebook/2025/Taipei MRT

Introduction

The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system is the most efficient and rapid way for people to travel around, it operates in the metropolitan areas of Taipei and New Taipei City, and connects to Taoyuan Airport.

The MRT system has currently completed 152.3 kilometres with seven main lines: Wenhu line, Tamsui-Xinyi line, Bannan line, Songshan-Xingdian line, Zhonghe-Xinlu line, Circular line, and Taoyuan Airport MRT line.

The MRT is continuously planning and implementing, with the plans for future expansion, the MRT will eventually cover approximately about 235 kilometres . It serves a population of over 6.5 million people, comprising about 2.5 million residents in Taipei city and over 4 million residents in New Taipei City .

Before the Taipei MRT

Before the introduction of the Taipei MRT, Taipei and New Taipei City relied on various transport modes, including buses, taxis, trains, private vehicles, motorcycles, and active transport. Each had limitations:

• Buses: Shared roads with private vehicles, making travel times unpredictable due to congestion.
• Trains: Only had two stations in both Taipei and New Taipei City, unsuitable for daily commuting.
• Private vehicles & Motorcycles: The most popular transport modes but contributed to road congestion.
• Active Transport (Walking & Cycling): Available but limited infrastructure—few cycle paths and narrow walkways made them inconvenient and unsafe.

The introduction of the Taipei MRT helped reduce traffic congestion and improve connectivity between Taipei and New Taipei City, offering a more reliable and efficient public transport alternative.

Technology

To build Taipei MRT system, the first metro system in Taiwan, the Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) brought together a team of first-class engineers from various fields, including transportation, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.

The Taipei MRT system is a modern metro network that serves Taipei and New Taipei City. It consists of several high-capacity, electrified rail lines operating primarily on a steel-wheel-on-steel-rail system, ensuring smooth and efficient transport. Essential technological characteristics include:

• Driverless operation: The Wenhu line (Brown line) is fully automated, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing labor costs.
• Electrification: The MRT operates using a 750V DC third rail (for most lines) and overhead catenary (for Wenhu line), providing a reliable power supply.
• Smart Ticketing: Taipei MRT introduced an integrated fare system using the EasyCard, which can be easily transfers between MRT, buses, and YouBike. Also provide one-day passes and 24/48/72hr Taipei Metro Passes for passengers.
• Platform Doors: Installed in underground stations to improve passenger safety and system efficiency.

Main advantages of the Taipei MRT include reduced congestion, improved air quality, and enhanced urban mobility by offering a fast, efficient alternative to road-based transport.

Table 1: Different technical used in all lines.

Line	Comprise	Passengers	Maximum Speed	Control mode	Wheels
Wenhu (Brown)	Consists of two pairs of trains, each pair of trains has 2 cars, a total of 4 cars	420	80 km/h	Fully automated, driverless	Rubber tires
Tamsui-Xinyi (Red)	Consists of two sets of 3-car EMUs, for a total of six cars	1672	80 km/h	Operates by driver under the signal system	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
Bannan (Blue)	Consists of two sets of 3-car EMUs, for a total of six cars	1672	80 km/h	Operates by driver under the signal system	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
Songshan-Xingdian (Green)	Consists of two sets of 3-car EMUs, for a total of six cars	1672	80 km/h	Operates by driver under the signal system	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
Zhonghe-Xinlu (Orange)	Consists of two sets of 3-car EMUs, for a total of six cars	1672	80 km/h	Operates by driver under the signal system	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
Circular (Yellow)	EMU train with four carriages	650	70 km/h	Driverless	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
Taoyuan Airport MRT (Purple)	Commuter: four-car (DM-M-M-DM) Express: five-car (DM-M-M-M-DMB)	Commuter: DM: 261 M: 278 Express: DM: 207 M: 216 DMB: baggage	100 km/h	Operates by driver	Steel-wheel on steel-rail

Market

After the Taipei MRT opened, it has significantly changed travel patterns, serving over 2 million passengers daily. It mainly served passengers traveling between Taipei's and New Taipei's central business districts and residential areas.

The early market segments included:

• Office workers: Reduced travel time of daily commuting.

• Students: Convenient transportation to schools and universities results in high usage among students.

• Tourists: Links to major commercial and cultural districts promote retail and tourism development.

The continuous expansion of MRT into suburban areas is expected to attract even more passengers in the future.

Additionally, the MRT has a well-integration with other public transportation modes, such as high-speed rail, train services, buses, and YouBike (bike-sharing program in Taiwan), has further increased travel demand and enhanced its connectivity .

Policy

In Taiwan, most of the public transportation modes allow eating and drinking, but Taipei MRT is an exception, banning food and beverages onboard. This policy helps maintain a clean environment and prevents food crumbs that could attract insects or small animals, which might damage the automated systems .

In order to comply with the Ministry of Transportation's policies, the Taipei Metro AFC ticketing system is being planned. This requires the use of a card to achieve the goal of passenger can easily transfer between each public transportation system and active transportation (YouBike: bike-sharing program). The Taipei Metro AFC system will be integrated with electronic ticketing systems such as EasyCard, I Cash Card, Happy Card, and I Pass Card. The integrated ticketing and fare policy aims to encourage the use of multimodal transport and facilitate seamless transfers between the Taipei MRT, buses and YouBike.

Growth of Taipei MRT

Important timeline

2004 Taipei MRT route map

Initial network (First phase)

• 1996/03/28 - Muzha line (Brown): Taipei Zoo station - Zhongshan Junior High School station
• 1997/12/25 - Tamsui line (Red): Tamsui station - Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall station
• 1998/12/24 - Zhonghe line (Orange): Nanshijiao station - Guting station
• 1999/11/11 - Xindian line (Green): Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall station - Xindian station
• 2000/08/31 - Xiaonanmen line (Green): Ximen station - Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall station
• 2000/12/30 - Nangang line (Blue): Kunyang station - Ximen station
• 2006/05/31 - Banqiao line (Blue): Ximen station - Fuzhong station
• 2006/05/31 - Tucheng line (Blue): Fuzhong station - Yongning station
• 2009/07/04 - Neihu line (Brown): Zhongshan Junior High School station - Nangang Exhibition Centre station

Subsequent Network (Expansion projects)

• 2010/11/03 - Luzhou line (Orange): Sanchong Elementary School station - Luzhou station
• 2011/02/27 - Nangang line East extension (Blue): Kunyang station - Nangang Exhibition Centre station
• 2013/06/29 - Xinzhuang line (Orange): Guting station - Huilong station
• 2013/11/24 - Xinyi line (Red): Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall station - Xiangshan station
• 2014/11/15 - Songshan line (Green): Ximen station - Songshan station
• 2015/07/06 - Tucheng line extension (Blue): Yongning station - Dingpu station
• 2017/03/02 - Taoyaun Airport MRT line (Purple): Taipei Main station - Linkuo station
• 2020/01/31 - Circular line phase 1 (Yellow): Dapinglin station - New Taipei Industrial Park station

2023 Taipei MRT route map

Future Network (Expansion projects)

• 2024/12 (expected, not started yet) - Xinyi line East extension (Xiangshan station - Guangci/Fengtian Temple station)
• 2025/12 (expected) - Wanda-Zhonghe-Shulin line (phase 1): Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall station - Depot
• 2028/09 (expected) - Circular line North & South Sections: New Taipei Industrial Park station - Jiannan Road station, Taipei zoo station - Dapinglin station
• 2028/12 (expected) - Wanda-Zhonghe-Shulin line (phase 2): Zhonghe high school station - Huilong station

Table 2: Taipei MRT Travel demand

Year	Observed Market size	Predicted Market size
1997	31081395	134900929
1998	60737782	152982266
1999	126952122	172901146
2000	268716740	194689128
2001	289642714	218337359
2002	324433557	243789441
2003	316189628	270935906
2004	350141956	299611202
2005	360729803	329593997
2006	384003220	360611364
2007	416229685	392347019
2008	450024415	424453255
2009	462472351	456565732
2010	505466450	488319830
2011	566404489	519367019
2012	602199342	549389733
2013	634961083	578113413
2014	679506401	605314882
2015	717511818	630826666
2016	739990166	654537423
2017	746066556	676389032
2018	765470127	696371132
2019	789599014	714514037
2020	695650777	730880850
2021	531120335	745559535
2022	587257852	758655473
2023	710185578	770284868
2024	741824511	780569184

Using the S-curves to represent the data of the passenger volume, using the life cycle model represent by the equation:

${\frac {f}{1-f}}=e^{-at+b}$

where:

• f = S(t)/K represent the fractional share of technology
• S(t) = technology's size in year t and
• K = final market size)

• t = time

• a, b = model parameters

The formula of S(t) can identify the final market size(K):

$S(t)={\frac {K}{1+e^{-a(t-t_{0})}}}$

• $t_{0}$: midpoint year (inflection time)

Then, use the 3-parameter logistic function to analyse the data:

$S(t)={\frac {K}{[1+\exp(-b(t-t_{0}))]}}$

The results are shown in Table 3 below:

Table 3: Excel Regression

Parameter	Value
Intercept	-303.9969
b	0.151392
RSQ	0.774792
t_i=c/-b	2008.017

Analysis the change of passengers volume

Taipei MRT observed passengers and predicted passengers from 1997 to 2024

Early Stage (1996-2006): Initial Expansion

• Taipei MRT began operations in March, 1996 with the Muzha (Wenhu) Line.
• The early ridership growth was steady as passengers shifted from buses and private vehicles to the MRT.
• Expansion of major lines (Tamsui-Xinyi, Bannan) led to increased connectivity and market penetration.
• Passenger volume steadily increased as new lines opened, and system reliability improved.
• Typhoon Nari flooded the Banqiao to Nangang areas, causing damage to the MRT system on 2001/08/31. The MRT was suspended for several days. After 2002/03/07, the Bannan (Blue) line, Tamsui (Red) line, Xindian (Green) line and Zhonghe (Orange) all resumed their typhoon-related services.

Growth Phase (2006-2019): Network Expansion

• Major lines started to operate, include the completion of the Xinzhuang Line (2010), Luzhou Line (2010), and Songshan Line (2014).
• Ridership saw consistent year-on-year growth.
• Integration with YouBike and expansion of buses services contributed to increased usage.
• Government policies promoting transit-oriented development (TOD) led to higher population density near MRT stations, further increasing ridership.

COVID-19 Impact and Recovery (2020-2023)

• There is a sharp decline in ridership occurred in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions.
• The lowest point was observed around 2021, when passenger numbers fell by nearly 50%, due to the quarantine and locked down policy.
• Recovery began in 2021, people started to coexist with COVID-19.
• By 2023, ridership had rebounded but remained slightly below pre-pandemic levels, as the pandemic changed working patterns and working from home became more popular.

Future Prospects (2024 and Beyond)

• Continued network expansion with new planned lines and extensions (e.g., Circular Line Phase 2 and Taoyuan Airport MRT connection), which is expected to attract more passengers.

Maturity and future prospects

As the system matures and the travel demand growth, Taipei MRT faces new challenges:

• Expanding into underserved suburbs to accommodate with population growth.
• Digital service upgrades, including real-time tracking, mobile ticketing.
• Sustainable transportation: Promoting green infrastructure such as solar-powered stations and energy-efficient trains when expanding the Taipei MRT network.
• Provide express service on high-demand stations to reduce journey times.