Circular Line (KMRT)

For a medium-capacity metro route with the same name in Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan, see Circular Line (Taipei Metro).
Circular Line
Circular Line
環狀輕軌

CAF Urbos trams parked at C3 Station
Overview
Type Light Rail
Locale Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Termini C1 (Near Yisin Rd.)
C14 (Near Kaohsiung Harbor Station)
Stations 14 (under construction),
36 (total planned)
Operation
Operator(s) Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit
Character At-Grade/Elevated
Depot(s) Cianjhen Depot
Events
Status Under construction
Operation will start Mid-2016
Technical
Line length 22.1 km (13.7 mi)
No. of tracks 2
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification ACR (rapid charge accumulator)
Operating speed 70 km/h maximum[1]
C1 Station (March 9, 2015)
C2 Station (November 9, 2014)
Future C4 station approximate location in July 2013.
Future C8 station approximate location in July 2013. Old railway, used as a bikepath.

The Circular Line (Chinese: 環狀輕軌; pinyin: Huánzhuàng Qīngguǐ; literally Circular Light Rail) is a 22.1-kilometer (13.7 mi) circular light rail line currently under construction in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.[2] The south part of this LRT line makes use of the defunct railroad of TRA Kaohsiung Harbor Line.

Estimated to 16.5 billion TWD, it will be the world's first light rail vehicle system on a fully catenary-free route.[3][4]

Phase I construction consists of a section of line from Station C1 to Station C14, where Stations C3 and C14 are the transfer stations to Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit system's Red Line and Orange Line, respectively. Construction of Phase I began on June 4, 2013.[5] The section C1 – C8 (Perhaps C1 – C10) is scheduled to be tested from August 2015 (riding on the trams is open to the public for free[6]) and fully operational by mid-2016.[7][8][9] As of March 30, 2015, the civil construction part of Stations C1, C2 and C3 has been finished. The CAF Urbos trams used in this line parked at or passed by these stations for demonstrations and tests in several events from November 2014 to March 2015.

Phase II construction will not start until the Kaohsiung urban railway is relocated underground in 2017. It is scheduled to be completed in 2019.[3]

Stations

CodeStation NameSectionConnectionLocation
EnglishChinese
— ↑ Loop line towards Rueibei ↑ —
C1Lizihnei籬仔內 Phase I Foguangshan [planned] CianjhenKaohsiung
C2Kaisyuan Rueitian凱旋瑞田
C3Cianjhen Star前鎮之星 Red via Kaisyuan (R6)
C4Kaisyuan Jhonghua凱旋中華
C5Dream Mall夢時代 Yellow [planned]
C6Commerce and Trade Park經貿園區
C7Software Technology Park軟體園區
C8Kaohsiung Exhibition Center高雄展覽館 Brown [planned]
C9Cruise Terminal旅運中心 Lingya
C10Glory Pier光榮碼頭
C11Love Pier真愛碼頭 Yancheng
C12Dayi Pier-2駁二大義
C13Penglai Pier-2駁二蓬萊 Gushan
C14Hamasen哈瑪星 Orange via Sizihwan (O1)
C15Wufu 4th Rd.五福四路 Phase II
C16Dagong Rd.大公路
C17Singlong Rd.興隆路
C18Gushan鼓山 TRA Underground Western [2017]
C19Jiouru 4th Rd.九如四路
C20Fine Arts Museum美術館 TRA Underground Western via Fine Arts Museum [2017]
C21Art Park美術園區
C22Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital聯合醫院
C23Longde Rd.龍德路
C24Kaohsiung City Hall新市政中心 Red via Aozihdi (R13)
C25Longhua Junior High School龍華國中 Zuoying
C26President New Century大統新世紀 Sanmin
C27Dingshan鼎山
C28Wanzihnei灣子內 Yellow [planned]
C29Jiansing Rd.建興路
C30Dashun Jiouru大順九如 TRA Underground Western via National Science And Technology Museum [2017]
C31Universal Cinemas環球影城 Orange via Cultural Center (O7) Wukuaicuo (O8) Lingya
C32Rainbow Park彩虹公園 Orange via Cultural Center (O7) Wukuaicuo (O8)
C33Minsheng Hospital民生醫院
C34Kuochi Vocational High School國際商工 Brown [planned]
C35Wuchang Rd.武昌路 Cianjhen
C36Ersheng Rd.二聖路
C37Bahnbetriebswerk機廠
— ↓ Loop line towards Yisin Rd. ↓ —

Rolling stock

The line's fleet will consist of nine CAF Urbos trams that will operate catenary-free.[4] The tramcars will be 34-meter-long (112 ft), and will be able to transport a total of 250 passengers (seated, and standing).[3]

Previous light rail demonstration project

The Siemens Combino vehicle was used for light rail demonstration at Central Park, Kaohsiung in 2004.

In 2004, the Kaohsiung City Government and Siemens built a temporary two-station circular light rail line in Central Park, operated by a single trainset, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of building a light rail system in Kaohsiung City. It was meant to alleviate some residents' concerns that light rail would negatively impact their surroundings by producing excessive noise and hindering normal traffic flow. This Siemens Combino vehicle would later become the D2 Class operated in Melbourne, Australia.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "KAOHSIUNG LRV". CAF. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  2. ↑ "Light Rail System - Project Content". Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City. 2012-08-17. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  3. 1 2 3 "Trams: Kaohsiung Launches Taiwan's First Light Rail Service". Kaohsiung City Government. 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
  4. 1 2 "Trams: KAOHSIUNG TRAMWAY". CAF. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  5. ↑ "Kaohsiung begins circular light rail construction". Focus Taiwan News Channel. 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  6. ↑ Tim Berge (2015-10-16). "Kaohsiung LRT Opens to Public". ICRT FM.100. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  7. ↑ "First stage of light rail system ready to kick off". Noodls. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  8. ↑ "About Taiwan". Info Taiwan. 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  9. ↑ James Chuang (2015-06-08). "Kaohsiung light rail line set to go full circle". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2016-02-27.

External links

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