Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Mass Transit Bureau
Kaohsiung, Sept. 10 (CNA) Passengers traveling on the light rail line of the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit (KMRT) system will have to pay fares with effect from November, the KMRT Bureau said Sunday.
Travel on the light rail line, the first of its kind in Taiwan, has been free of cost since it was inaugurated in October 2015 but with the extension of the line this year and a sharp growth in the number of passengers, a fare system will be put in place, said KMRT Bureau Director Wu I-lung.
The line, which opened with four stops, was extended in June to the popular Pier-2 Art Center in Kaohsiung Port and now has 14 stations, Wu said.
As the service is being gradually extended, trams currently run from the C1 Lizihnei Station to C12 Dayi Pier-2 Station.
The new section will open fully on September 30 all the way to C14 Hamasen Station, and fares will be introduced in November but at a 50 percent discount for the first two months, he said.
The 8.7-kilometer waterfront light rail line is part of the Kaohsiung Circular Line that was designed to be incorporated into the KMRT system to complete the city's metro service network.
Ridership on the light rail line averages 13,000 passengers per day on work days, and nearly 20,000 on weekends and holidays, according to Shih Yao-cheng, chief executive of public affairs at Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp.
