Taichung BRT Blue Line

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 www.brttaichung.com.tw
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 an articulated bus Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system located in Taichung, Taiwan. It operated between Taichung TRA Station and Providence University. The 17.1-kilometer (10.6 mi) line served 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

A metro system in Taichung was planned for nearly twenty years, but the BRT routes were drawn in 2011. The Taichung City Government proposed an idea to construct a BRT line instead of a MRT line between Shalu and downtown Taichung, because the construction of the BRT would be 25 times cheaper than the MRT.[1] The line is built on Taiwan Blvd, which is the main road in Taichung and also the most congested.

Articulated buses were legalized in February 2012, and construction on the line started in November 2013. The line opened for the public on July 27, 2014.[2][3] 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 #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.

Operation

Second Market Place,Jen-Ai Hospital Station

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 Taichung Blvd. Sect. 1 and between the stations Fu'an and Maple Garden. 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.[4]

Original Future Plans

Future plans for the BRT system.
Taichung BRT single ticket (Never used)

The Taichung City Government originally planned to add two extensions to the line, one connecting Providence University with Taichung Harbor, and the second connecting the Taichung TRA Station with Taiping District, to the east. The extensions would have added 18 kilometers (11 mi) to the route, making the entire line 35-kilometer (22 mi) long.[1] In the future, the government also planned to build an MRT to replace the BRT line. Other BRT lines were planned to be constructed. A planned orange line would have spanned from Shalu District to Wufeng District, passing through Daya, Beitun, North, Central, and Dali districts. Other lines were also planned, serving multiple districts.[5] These plans were discarded upon the decision to shut down the BRT system and convert it to a conventional bus lane in the spring of 2015.

Criticism

Based on results from a poll 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.[6]

In November 2014, Taichung elected a new mayor Lin Chia-lung. On December 27, 2014, the newly elected mayor visited the system's operation base, where he was briefed on the operation of the BRT system. He then 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. He called for a report to be written in 3 months, and afterwards he will consider if the BRT should be demolished.[7] Following the report and consideration, the mayor announced the discontinuation of the BRT system and conversion into a lane for conventional buses. [8] As a result, the Taichung BRT system ceased operations on July 8th, 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 Huang, H.-J., Liao, C.-Y., Tseng, C., & Lin, L.-T. (n.d.). Taichung BRT design record (PDF).
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ 認識臺中市快捷巴士系統(BRT) (PDF) (in Chinese). Taichung City Government. November 15, 2011.
  6. ↑ Chang, Y.-C. (August 11, 2014). Taichung’s BRT fails to impress: Poll. Taipei Times.
  7. ↑ 花40億 林佳龍嗆拆 「BRT是騙局」 (BRT costs four billion NTD, Lin Chia-Lung: "It's an Hoax".) (in Chinese). Apple Daily. December 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/taichung/2015/03/24/431876/Taichung-to.htm Taichung to replace BRT with dedicated bus lanes
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