A BRT bus at Taichung railway station. The platform has been removed.
Overview
StatusClosed
Began service28 July 2014 (2014-07-28)
Ended service8 July 2015 (2015-07-08)
Route
Route typeBus rapid transit
LocaleTaichung, Taiwan
Length17.1 km (10.6 mi)
Stations21
Service
Frequency5–10 minutes

The Taichung BRT (Chinese: 臺中快捷巴士) was a bus rapid transit (BRT) system located in Taichung which stretched from Taichung TRA station to Providence University via Taiwan Boulevard, a major thoroughfare. 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 a dedicated bus lane for conventional buses on July 8, 2015, and the BRT is no longer in operation.

Design and construction

Second Market Place/Jen-Ai Hospital Station

An MRT system in Taichung has been planned since 1990; however, because of the high cost of building MRT system, the plan was never carried out. The Taichung City Government began planning for a BRT system in place of a MRT primarily because it would cost 25 times less.[1][2] The BRT was 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.[3]

Articulated buses were legalized in Taiwan in February 2012, and construction of BRT blue line started in November 2013. The line opened for the public on July 27, 2014.[4][5]

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 dedicated on both sides, except for the section on Taiwan Boulevard Sect. 1 and between the stations Fu'an and Maple Valley Park. A bus arrived 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.[6]

Features

  • All buses are articulated buses.
  • Unlike conventional 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.

Criticism

Taichung BRT blue line was open to the public on July 28; however, many of the facilities were still under construction, which prompted much 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.[7] However, on September 13, according to the poll carried out by the Taichung Youth City Government (台中青年市政府), 51% of the passengers were satisfied with the BRT system, 37% felt indifferent, 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.[8][9]

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 AB-Kreuz.svg TRA

AB-Kreuz.svg  █ MRT Red Line (due 2016) AB-Kreuz.svg  █ BRT Orange Line (Planned)

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 AB-Kreuz.svg  █ 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

Closure

Even though turnstiles were installed at all stations, they were never used.

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 identified the five main deficiencies of the system.[10] He called a total demolition of the system.[11] The decision did not come without opposition; on Jan 24, almost all of the citizens participating in a public forum 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.[12][13][14][15] However, despite the opponents of abolishing the BRT, it ceased operations on July 8, 2015.

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 routes 300, 309, and 310, and now share the lane 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.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "台中第2條捷運28年終於成真 中市府接獲行政院捷運藍線核定公文". Public Transportation & Rapid Transit System Office of Taichung City (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 5 October 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  2. ↑ Huang, Liao, Tseng, Lin. "Taichung City BRT Design Record" (PDF). Retrieved July 26, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ The director of Bureau of Transportation: Construction of BRT won't impact the promote of MRT construction
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ 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;
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Chang, Y.-C. (August 11, 2014). Taichung's BRT fails to impress: Poll. Taipei Times;
  8. ↑ 〈中部〉「青年市府」調查 BRT滿意度5成
  9. ↑ 學生團體民調 BRT滿意51％
  10. ↑ 斥資20多億BRT成歷史 台中公車免費里程延長
  11. ↑ 花40億 林佳龍嗆拆 「BRT是騙局」 (BRT costs four billion NTD, Lin Chia-Lung: "It's an Hoax".)
  12. ↑ Taichung residents call for bus rapid transit system to be retained
  13. ↑ BRT公民網友踹共論壇 多數盼改善
  14. ↑ BRT踹共說明會來的人都說別拆
  15. ↑ 《台中》首場公民網友踹共BRT 多數要求保留
  16. ↑ 張菁雅 (June 21, 2016). "BRT自動收費系統閒置 民代批浪費公帑" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Liberty Times. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
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