Light rail links the historic streets of Tamsui District to the modern development of Danhai New Town.
New Taipei City’s Tamsui District embodies Taiwan’s intentional connection of past and future, most visibly in the Danhai light rail transit (LRT) system that runs from Danhai New Town to the heart of old Tamsui at Fisherman’s Wharf. Conceived to link Danhai’s skyscrapers to Taipei City, the sleek, automated LRT opened in December 2018 as an offshoot of the Taipei Metro red line, which starts from Taipei’s Xinyi District. The Danhai LRT consists of a mountain line and a coastal line, and features stations and cars decorated with sculptures by Taiwanese artist Jimmy Liao (幾米).
Danhai New Town is a large residential development that was proposed in 1992 and envisaged to relocate 300,000 people from the Taipei metropolitan area to a 17-square-kilometer site north of Tamsui. It now has a population of around 40,000, with striking modern high rises along the light rail route, and boasts a mall, cinema complex, superstores, a dedicated children’s park and a sports center. The LRT joins important locations like Tamkang University, Taipei University of Marine Technology’s Tamsui campus and the Tamsui District Administration Office. The last stop on the coastal line is currently Fisherman’s Wharf, enabling residents of Danhai to enjoy sunsets and snacks redolent of the ocean, characteristic of the old town. Four additional LRT stops are planned for the historic section of Tamsui at Youchekou, Huwei Fort, Fort Domingo and Mackay Street.
Danhai New Town is a large residential development that was proposed in 1992 and envisaged to relocate 300,000 people from the Taipei metropolitan area to a 17-square-kilometer site north of Tamsui. It now has a population of around 40,000, with striking modern high rises along the light rail route, and boasts a mall, cinema complex, superstores, a dedicated children’s park and a sports center. The LRT joins important locations like Tamkang University, Taipei University of Marine Technology’s Tamsui campus and the Tamsui District Administration Office. The last stop on the coastal line is currently Fisherman’s Wharf, enabling residents of Danhai to enjoy sunsets and snacks redolent of the ocean, characteristic of the old town. Four additional LRT stops are planned for the historic section of Tamsui at Youchekou, Huwei Fort, Fort Domingo and Mackay Street.
—by Synthia Lin