Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) The Taipei metro will run for 42 hours non-stop from Dec. 31 to provide transport for the huge crowds expected to attend the city's New Year's Eve countdown party and fireworks display, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC) said Thursday.
The TRTC said that with the exception of Xiaobitan and Xinbeitou stations, the metro system will operate from 6 a.m. on Dec. 31 through to 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 1.
To cope with the crowds expected for the Taipei 101 fireworks display, the shortest wait time between trains after 5 p.m. on Dec. 31 will be 2 minutes and 28 seconds for the Bannan Line (Blue Line) and three minutes for the Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line), with all trains on that line to proceed to Xiangshan, the terminal station, according to the TRTC.
However, due to the Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101/World Trade Center stations being in close proximity to the celebrations, some trains may not stop at those two stations, depending on the crowd situation, according to the TRTC.
Therefore, Blue Line passengers are advised to get off one stop before Taipei City Hall Station -- at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station -- or one stop before Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station at Xinyi Anhe Station for Red Line users, according to the TRTC.
Bicycles will also be banned from the metro system from 3 p.m. onward on Dec. 31. according to the TRTC.
The TRTC advised that when leaving the celebrations, Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101/World Trade Center stations will be best avoided and travelers should proceed to Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Yongchun, Xinyi Anhe, Xiangshan or Nanjing Sanmin stations.
In accordance with restrictions around Taipei City Hall on Dec. 31, the gates between Taipei City Hall Station Exit 2 and Taipei City Hall Bus Station will be closed at 9 p.m. and the walkway between Taipei City Hall Station Exit 2 and the Uni-President Taipei department store will be closed at 10 p.m.
Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station Exit 4 will also be closed from 10 p.m. that day.
