Taichung BRT Blue Line
 Taichung BRT bus in Taichung Train Station | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Taichung City Government |
| Locale | Taichung, Taiwan |
| Transit type | Bus Rapid Transit |
| Number of lines | 1 |
| Number of stations | 21 |
| Website | [] |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | July 27, 2014 to July 8, 2015 |
| Character | On street, in specialized lane |
| Headway | Approximately 5–10 minutes |
| Technical | |
| System length | 17.1 km (10.6 mi) |
The Taichung BRT Blue Line (Chinese: 臺中快捷巴士) was a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system located in Taichung which stretched from Taichung Station to Providence University on the main road, Taiwan Boulevard. The line was 17.1-kilometer (10.6 mi) in length with 21 stations. It was the first BRT line in Taiwan. The line was converted to dedicated bus lane for conventional buses on July 8, 2015 and the BRT is no longer in operation.
Design and construction
A MRT system in Taichung have been planned for nearly twenty years; however, because of the low ridership rates of public transportation and the high cost of building MRT system (millions of NTD would be spent for each of MRT route), the MRT system has become extremely difficult to carry out. What is worse, the traffic in Taichung becomes much more congested due to the rapid development of the city.
A MRT system running on Taiwan Boulevard has been planned for nearly twenty years. However, due to the low rate of public transportation in the city and the high cost of building a MRT, it did not become a reality. The Taichung City Government began planning for a BRT system in place of a MRT primarily because it would cost 25 times less[1] and it would cause less congestion to the road during construction. The BRT was be promoted as an alternative during rush hour, since it ran on a designated lane.
The system was entirely composed of articulated buses. Unlike conventional buses, the fare was to be paid at the stations, not on the bus. The stations featured ticket gates at the entrance of the station, as well as automatic platform gates that would open and close simultaneously with bus doors. Signal priority was to be given to the buses to save travel time.
The director of Taichung Bureau of Transportation, Mr. Lin, also stated that if one day MRT is constructed, BRT will still be operating instead of being replaced by MRT.[2]
Articulated buses were legalized in Taiwan on February 2012, and construction of BRT blue line started in November 2013. The line opened for the public on July 27, 2014.[3][4]
List of Stations
| Code | Station Name | Station Name (Chinese) | Location | Transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRT Blue Line | |||||
| A01 | Taichung Railway Station | 臺中火車站 | Central | Taichung City |   TRA
|
| A02 | Chang Hwa Bank (planned) | 彰化銀行 | |||
| A03 | Second Market Place / Jen-Ai Hospital | 第二市場 / 仁愛醫院 | |||
| A05 | Qiedongjiao | 茄苳腳 | West | ||
| A06 | Chung-Cheng Elementary School | 中正國小 | |||
| A07 | National Museum of Natural Science | 科博館 | |||
| A08 | Chung-Ming Elementary School | 忠明國小 | |||
| A09 | Dinghecuo | 頂何厝 | Xitun | ||
| A10 | Taichung City Hall | 市政府 | █ MRT Green Line (due 2018) | ||
| A11 | Shin Kong Mitsukoshi/Top City Dept. Store | 新光/遠百 | |||
| A12 | Maple Valley Park | 秋紅谷 | |||
| A13 | Fu-an | 福安 | |||
| A14 | Zhonggang New Community | 中港新城 | |||
| A15 | Cheng Ching Hospital | 澄清醫院 | |||
| A16 | Yumen Rd. | 玉門路 | |||
| A17 | Taichung Veterans General Hospital/Tunghai University | 榮總/東海大學 | |||
| A18 | Donghai Villa | 東海別墅 | |||
| A19 | Pingding | 坪頂 | Longjing | ||
| A20 | Zhengying Rd. | 正英路 | Shalu | ||
| A21 | Hungkuang University | 弘光科技大學 | |||
| A22 | Jinjiangliao | 晉江寮 | |||
| A23 | Providence University | 靜宜大學 | |||
| Code | Station Name | Station Name | Location | Transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRT Blue Line West Extension (Planned) | |||||
| A24 | Hongzhu Lane | 紅竹巷 | Shalu | Taichung City | |
| A25 | Sha-Lu Industrial High School | 沙鹿高工 | |||
| A26 | Zhonggang Elementary School | 中港國小 | Wuqi | ||
| A27 | Qiucuozhuang（Tungs MetroHarbor Hospital (Wuci Branch)） | 邱厝庄（童綜合醫院） | |||
| A28 | Wuci Elementary School | 梧棲國小 | |||
| A29 | Taichung Harbor Bureau | 港務大樓 | |||
| A30 | Taichung Harbor Passenger Service Center | 臺中港旅客服務中心 | |||
| 梧棲機廠 | |||||
Operation
The line opened for the public on July 27, 2014. The Blue Line operated between the Taichung TRA Station in Central District and Providence University in Shalu District, with a control center located in Shalu. It took 40 minutes to get from one terminal to another. The route had a special lane on either side for the BRT, except for the section on Taiwan Blvd. Sect. 1 and between the stations Fu'an and Maple Valley Park. A bus came approximately every 5–10 minutes to a station. Operation began at 6:00 AM and ended at 11:00 PM at the Taichung Train Station, and began at 5:00 and ended at 10:00 PM at Providence University.[5]
Following the discontinuation of the BRT system and conversion into a standard bus lane, the articulated buses and stations continued to be used. The buses were renamed as bus route 300 and now share the line with conventional low-floor buses. Smart cards now have to be swiped on the bus and the BRT equipment at the stations has been deactivated.
Features
- All buses are articulated buses.
- Unlike general buses, BRT fares are charged in BRT stations, not on the buses.
- All BRT stations are fitted with automatic platform gates open or close simultaneously with the bus doors.
- Signal priority are installed at the intersection of BRT route to shorten traveling time.
Taichung BRT ticket vending machine screenshot
Platform gates at BRT Jen-ai Hospital station
BRT control center
Future Plans
After the blue line operated, the Taichung City Government planned for extensions: one route extending west to Wuqi (梧棲), another to Dajia (大甲), one to Taichung Airport, and another extending east from Taichung Station to Taiping (太平). The extensions would have added 18 kilometers (11 mi) to the route, making the entire line 35-kilometer (22 mi) long.[6] Other BRT lines were planned to be constructed. An orange line would have spanned from Shalu District to Wufeng District, passing through Daya, Beitun, North, Central, and Dali districts.[7] These plans were discarded upon the decision to shut down the BRT system in 2015.
Criticism
Taichung BRT blue line was open to the public on July 28; however, many of the facilities were still under construction, which prompted lots of criticism. Based on a poll conducted in August 2014, only 16.9% of the passengers were satisfied with the system, and only 25.5% of the passengers said that they would change how they travel based on the new service.[8] However,on September 13, according to the poll carried out by a student organisation, Taichung Youth City Government (台中青年市政府), 51% of the passengers were satisfied with the BRT system, 37% felt so-so, and 12% were dissatisfied with the system. Proponents of the system stated that because of the BRT lane's signal priority and designated lane, travel time became much shorter.[9][10]
In November 2014, Taichung elected a new mayor Lin Chia-lung. On December 27, 2014, the newly elected mayor visited the temporary BRT operation center; he criticized the system, calling it a hoax. He pointed out that the 4 billion cost was unjustified and then gave 5 main deficiencies of the system.[11] He called a total demolition of the system.[12] The decision did not come without opposition; on Jan 24, almost all of the citizens participating in a public forum (臺中BRT公民網友攏踹共) were against abolishing the system, stating that the system was a lot more efficient than standard buses and the government should just improve on existing facilities.[13][14][15][16] However, despite the opponents of abolishing the BRT, it ceased operations on July 8, 2015.
References
- ↑ Huang, Liao, Tseng, Lin. "Taichung City BRT Design Record" (PDF). Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- ↑ The director of Bureau of Transportation: Construction of BRT won't impact the promote of MRT construction
- ↑ BRT大事紀101年版 (BRT Major Events: 2012 (Fact sheet)) (in Chinese). Bus Rapid Transit of Taichung. January 1, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ↑ BRT大事紀102年版 (BRT Major Events: 2013 (Fact sheet)) (in Chinese). Bus Rapid Transit of Taichung. January 1, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2015;
- ↑ Taichung 臺中BRT藍線站位開放時間表 (BRT Blue Line Time Table) (in Chinese). Taichung City Government Transportation Bureau. August 11, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ↑ Huang, H.-J., Liao, C.-Y., Tseng, C., & Lin, L.-T. (n.d.). Taichung BRT design record (PDF).
- ↑ 認識臺中市快捷巴士系統(BRT) (PDF) (in Chinese). Taichung City Government. November 15, 2011.
- ↑ Chang, Y.-C. (August 11, 2014). Taichung's BRT fails to impress: Poll. Taipei Times;
- ↑ 〈中部〉「青年市府」調查 BRT滿意度5成
- ↑ 學生團體民調 BRT滿意51％
- ↑ 斥資20多億BRT成歷史 台中公車免費里程延長
- ↑ 花40億 林佳龍嗆拆 「BRT是騙局」 (BRT costs four billion NTD, Lin Chia-Lung: "It's an Hoax".)
- ↑ Taichung residents call for bus rapid transit system to be retained
- ↑ BRT公民網友踹共論壇 多數盼改善
- ↑ BRT踹共說明會來的人都說別拆
- ↑ 《台中》首場公民網友踹共BRT 多數要求保留