Taiwan Today

Following almost two decades of seemingly endless discussion punctuated with occasional controversy, Taipei is fi­nally slated to have a mass rapid transit system. Government planners have se­lected a preliminary design for the system, called MRT for short, and have determined its routes. The initial stage of construction will begin this year. Tai­pei's MRT is a first for Taiwan, and in order to find out more details about its construction and intended goals, the Free China Review interviewed Chen Shih-yi, deputy director general of the Department of Rapid Transit Sys­tems, Taipei City Government, who is in charge of the management and design affairs of the MRT, and Lai Shih-sheng, chief engineer of the MRT project. FCR: Why does Taipei need the mass rapid transit system? Chen Shih-yi: In recent years the population of Taipei has grown spectacularly. And the physical size of the city itself has also expanded. When the Tai­pei administrative area was enlarged in 1967 and put under the jurisdiction of the Executive Yuan, the population was only 1.6 million. Today Taipei has close to 3 million people, and some experts predict that within 20 years the population will reach 6 million. At the same time, Taiwan's rapid economic growth has spurred a huge in­crease in the number of vehicles. We are witnessing such a giant increase in the number of private cars, for example, that by the year 2000 even our current traffic problems will look simple in com­parison. Something has to be done immediately to meet city transportation needs for both the short-term and long-term future. This is not easy because of basic restrictions in urban planning. Streets take space and we don't have any to spare. The only way to go is up or down, which means building elevated or underground routes. Taken literally, "mass rapid transit" means moving many people at fast speed. We hope our MRT system will be able to transport 20,000 to 30,000 passengers per hour. We base our estimates on the experiences of foreign MRT sys­tems. Of course we know that not all sys­tems are successful. Much depends upon peoples' lifestyles. In island countries where space is limited, large cities seem to be a natural growth. Tokyo, Hong­kong, and Singapore are examples of this, and now Taipei is joining the list. In these other places, MRT systems have helped solve public transportation needs. Because Taipei has much in common with these cities, we believe it's the right way to go here. FCR: What are the planned routes for Taipei's MRT and what is the current stage of construction? Chen: We chose four routes based on a general survey. After making door to door visits to investigate the daily movement of family members throughout the city, we determined from our in­terviews what seemed to be the main transit corridors. Initially, the MRT lines will be along radiating transit routes, but eventually the whole network will be extended to a circulatory pattern. We also gave careful consideration to the location of stations. Currently we plan for adjacent stops to be placed every 800 to 1,000 meters. Surveys show that the maximum walking distance preferred by passengers averages around· 500 meters. The system will include four mass rapid transit lines, plus one medium capacity transit (MCT) line from Mucha in the southern part of Taipei, where the zoo is, to Sung San Airport in the north center part of the city. This MCT will be elevated. It's a kind of automatic "peo­ple mover" without a driver. The relatively new system is supposed to be able to move 5,000 to 20,000 passengers per hour. If we built the MRT underground in­stead of in an elevated configuration, it would be about seven times more expensive. Because of financial restrictions, the city's MRT will combine three forms of construction. In the central downtown areas it will be underground, in periphery areas it will utilize elevated roadways, while in suburban areas it will be con­structed on ground level. The average speed for the MRT will be about 25 miles per hour, which I think is fast enough for the downtown areas. FCR: What stage is the work in at present? Chen: We are still in the planning and design stage of things. At the end of this year, we'll begin construction of the first route-the "Red Line" from Hsintien to Tamsui. We also expect to start work on the MCR line in the latter half of this year. We estimate that the whole network will cost around NT$250 billion (approximately US$8.06 billion), and total construction time should take 10 to 12 years. FCR: What kind of results do you expect the MRT system will achieve after it opens? Chen: We have great expectations for the system. First of all—and most important—it can help solve traffic prob­lems by making the flow of traffic much smoother. Second, we won't have to rely on buses so much, and that will help clean up the air in the city. Third, because transportation will be easier, the city itself should take on new vitality, making life easier for shoppers and other social, economic, and cultural activities. Fourth, it should save lots of wear and tear on people's emotions by saving them time and frustration. Finally, the actual landscape of the city will be im­proved, especially when all the areas around the MRT stations are developed. We expect attractive underground shopping areas will be constructed, and this should leave even more space on the streets and sidewalks. Overall, I think MRT construction will actually promote urban renewal. And if the experiences of other cities are a clear indication, we can expect that the prices of real estate bordering the MRT will rise sharply—which should provide more taxes to help pay for the system. FCR: What sorts of problems have you encountered so far? Chen: One area of difficulty has been inadequate communication with the public. Some people are very much against having the MRT route pass in front of their homes. This is due to lack of infor­mation about the system, and it indicates that we need to be more effective in this area. After construction begins, residents will require daily information about the actual construction process. Taipei's streets are already very crowded with vehicles, and the construction will restrict space even more. It's going to be a real challenge to overcome the potential traf­fic disorder that will come about naturally with the construction. Another problem will come after the system is completed. Many bus routes will be replaced by MRT. The question then becomes how best to coordinate with the bus companies and persuade them rearrange their routes to complement the new system. There is an oppor­tunity for rational planning of routes, but it will take considerable advance ef­fort, I think, before everyone can agree on the best overall plan. The law covering public transportation is now being researched and re­ viewed by the Executive Yuan in an ef­fort to come up with an equitable solution. One feasible plan is to have the MRT go through main transportation corridors, while bus routes go to MRT stops and transfer the passengers to suburban areas. FCR: Because Taipei's MRT system is a pioneering project locally, how did the Department of Rapid Transit Systems go about recruiting engineering personnel and overcoming the special engineering problems? Lai Shih-sheng: Since Taipei's MRT is the first engineering project of its kind in this country, both the Execu­tive Yuan and the City Government are closely monitoring each step of the operation, and they expect it will produce specially-trained technical personnel for the country's future needs. In the recruitment of personnel, we require middle and higher ranking personnel to have practical engineering or management experience, while middle and lower level personnel also have to have strong educational backgrounds. The Department currently employs six engineers that hold Ph.D.s, 130 with master's degrees, and 120 with bache­lor's degrees. Among the six Ph.D.s, five have done advanced study abroad, and more than half of the master's degree holders received their degrees from foreign universities. The MRT construction project offers an excellent channel for our engineering students abroad to contribute service and expertise to their mother country, and we hope that in the future more of them will be able to par­ticipate in local engineering projects. Such high standards of educational expertise are unique among domestic engineering administrative units. Because of the participation of these young, active, well-educated and highly trained engineers, we hope to preserve their talents in MRT design, engineering, man­agement, and operation for future use. Since we have very little experience with MRT systems, the Department has also hired foreign consulting firms that specialize in mass transit. For instance, the general adviser, American Transit Consultant Co., has already sent 30 advisers here to assist in the training of our personnel. We expect a total of 50 when the project is in full swing. Additionally, in order to fully transfer MRT engineering technology to our country, nearly 170 engineers and administrative personnel from domestic engineering companies have been invited to engage in the MRT project. And in the beginning phase of MRT construc­tion, the Department also sent excellent middle and higher ranking personnel to the U.S. for special training. When the main construction begins, we will send additional personnel abroad to learn appropriate techniques of operation, management, and other relevant skills. FCR: How do you expect the MRT to influence the city's landscape, and what is the public's perception of MRT? Lai: There are clearly still some misunderstandings about the MRT project, and it's the responsibility of the Depart­ment to provide more thorough communication with the public. The MRT is unique because it utilizes exclusive roadways, it is electrically powered, and it does not pollute the atmosphere. When it goes underground, there will be no noise for people on ground level, and on the ground and elevated sections we will install sound insulation walls to keep noise to a minimum. The noise of the MCT, for example, is estimated to be 60 to 70 decibels, which is well within ac­ceptable limits. The Department has been very conscientious about consulting the public. It employed a polling institute to conduct public opinion surveys to find out what routes the MRT should have to best serve the citizens. And the Department has conducted many seminars for Taipei residents to provide them with information about the planned system. This is a rather new orientation for administrative units of the government and it is proving very useful. The Department has also made envi­ronmental impact studies on more than 40 different subject areas. In addition to such important items such as noise, landscape, pollution, vibration, and impact on traffic, we have looked into social ar­eas. These include detailed items like how the MRT might influence living habits, schooling, and the commission of crimes. The evaluation will be completed within 18 months and its results will be submitted to the Executive Yuan for its reference. This study has been done not to confirm our plan but to look for genuine impact on the environment. It's a learning experience for all of us.