The 1996 opening was the Muzha Line
The Taipei Metro’s Muzha Line began regular service on 28 March 1996, connecting the zoo area in Wenshan with Zhongshan Junior High School station. It formed the southern section of the later Wenhu Line and did not yet reach Neihu. The corporation’s 2006 annual report lists an initial operating length of 10.5 kilometers and twelve stations. Operating and construction mileage use different boundaries, and later whole-line figures do not describe the initial stage.
The Muzha Line used Matra’s driverless VAL256 system, with rubber-tired trains and an elevated alignment prominent in its transport environment. Average daily ridership in 1996 was about 40,000. As other Taipei Metro routes connected with it, average daily use reached approximately 86,000 by 2006.
Engineering organization as a learning process
Taipei’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems organized construction, bringing together civil, electrical, mechanical, planning and contractor personnel. An interview-based historical study describes early engineers arriving from different organizations, including the city’s public-works department and the Ret-Ser Engineering Agency, and learning from foreign engineering consultants. The department’s first director, Qi Baozheng, also had a Ret-Ser background. Many staff had engineering experience but still needed to learn the requirements of rail systems.
This work went beyond purchasing trains. Stations and networks needed joint planning, equipment required defined interfaces, and drawings, tests and technical documents had to form traceable records. The Muzha Line faced setbacks before opening, including tire and fire incidents. Engineers had to make the whole installation operate reliably, bringing bridges, guideways and other facilities together.
References: [2]
Extending north through the airport and river
The Neihu Line continued from the tail tracks at Zhongshan Junior High School station, passed Songshan Airport and Dazhi, and followed Neihu, Wende, Chenggong and Kangning roads toward the Nangang economic and trade park. The project covered about 14.8 kilometers and added twelve stations. Songshan Airport and Dazhi were underground, with the alignment passing through the airport and under the Keelung River. Most other new stations were elevated.
The Neihu section entered service on 4 July 2009, beginning through-running between the southern and northern sections. On 8 October, the city approved “Wenhu Line” as the unified operating name. The initial Muzha opening, Neihu extension and unified name were three connected milestones.
Through-running requires integrated controls
The old Muzha Line used Matra equipment, while Bombardier supplied the Neihu Line’s electromechanical system. Tendering sought both wider supplier participation and a service that required no transfer at the boundary between the sections. The older line’s automatic train controls and its vehicles’ onboard controls had to be upgraded for trains to run across both sections.
The new system used CITYFLO 650 communications-based train control. Wireless links exchanged position and control information between trains and trackside equipment, moving from fixed-block control toward a moving-block concept. Most existing civil structures and guideway switches were retained. Platform doors were also kept but connected to the new controls. Integration therefore extended well beyond purchasing trains.
Passengers by day, changeovers and testing by night
Chien-Wen Chiang’s engineering paper explains the upgrade plan in detail. Trackside installation on the old line largely took place after passenger service stopped. New equipment was initially placed beside existing equipment, with changeover arrangements separating the two control systems. During nighttime tests, older trains left designated sections so that new trains could operate under the new controls.
After testing, engineers had to return control to the old system and confirm that its equipment worked before regular service resumed. Technical drawings and site inspections established which interfaces should be retained, adjusted or replaced. This allowed construction and passenger operations to alternate, while making limited overnight work windows, handovers and verification responsibilities central to the project.
References: [3]
Stabilizing service after opening
The early through service still experienced repeated system failures. The corporation’s 2010 annual report describes improvements to vehicles, communication networks, signaling and power, with updated train-control and power-link software in July 2010. While equipment was improved, staff rode trains, monitored important installations and managed passenger flows at stations. Driverless operation still depended on personnel in the field.
Retrofitted VAL256 trains returned to Wenhu service on 26 December 2010, shortening the peak headway to 2 minutes 29 seconds. At the same time, Nangang Exhibition Center station lacked a rail connection to Nangang station on the then Nangang Line, and free transfer buses bridged the gap. The Wenhu Line depended on continued commissioning, staff response and connections with other transport routes as well as stations and vehicles.
References: [5]