Service on Taipei City’s mass-rapid transit (MRT) Muzha Line was suspended yesterday as the city government began testing the integration of the Muzha and Neihu lines ahead of the opening of the Neihu Line scheduled for June 30.
Starting at 6am yesterday, MRT trains ran between the Nankang Exhibition Hall Station of the Neihu Line and Taipei Zoo Station of the Muzha Line to test distances between train cabins, platform gaps and system interfaces.
During inspections at the Zhongshan Junior High Station yesterday, Tom Chang (常岐德), commissioner of Taipei City’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems, said that as the two lines were manufactured by different companies, systems integration testing was necessary.
The completion date for the Neihu Line, which began construction in 2002, was postponed several times because of construction difficulties. The line will start from Zhongshan Junior High Station on the Muzha Line and travel to Songshan Airport, Dazhi (大直) and Neihu (內湖).
Testing will continue today and every weekend until Jan. 18. Weekend service on the Muzha Line will be suspended as a result. Service will also be suspended on Friday, Jan. 2, which is a national holiday. Service, which is scheduled to be suspended on Jan. 10 and Jan. 17, will resume on the two make-up work days.
The city’s Department of Transportation is providing a shuttle bus service along Xinhai Road (辛亥路) and Jungong Road (軍�? on weekends and increased the number of buses during weekends at four major MRT stations on the Muzha Line — Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, Taipei City Zoo Station, Zhongshan Junior High Station and Technology Building Station.
Buses will run between 6am and 12pm at an interval of one to two minutes at peak time and five to 10 minutes during non-peak hours, with stops restricted to the MRT stations.
Capital Bus Corporation has also installed giant heaters at the four stations.
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