Zhonghe Line (Taipei Metro)

Zhonghe Line, Taipei Metro
Zhonghe Line 中和線
Dingxi Station platform
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
Locale	Taipei and New Taipei,  Republic of China (Taiwan)
Termini	Nanshijiao Guting
Stations	5
Operation
Opened	December 24, 1998
Operator(s)	Taipei Rapid Transit System
Character	Underground
Depot(s)	Zhonghe Depot
Rolling stock	Kawasaki C371 3 cars per set, 2 sets per train
Technical
Line length	5.4 km (3.4 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	Third rail (750 volts DC)
Operating speed	80 km/h
Route map  Xinzhuang Line to Dongmen  Xindian Line to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Guting Through service to Xindian Line  Xindian Line to Taipower Building Xindian River Dingxi Yongan Market  Circular Line to Jingping Jingan  Circular Line to Huajhong Bridge Nanshijiao Zhonghe Depot This diagram:

The Taipei Metro Zhonghe Line is a high-capacity, underground line and is part of the Orange Line. The 5.4 km route has 5 stations and runs from Nanshijiao and passes beneath the Xindian River into Taipei and terminates on the Xindian Line at Guting. The Zhonghe Line is unique among Taipei Metro lines in that a melody similar to that used on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line is used as a doors closing signal, and most stations feature a stacked side platform configuration.

On June 1992, the construction of Zhonghe Line began. It was the most difficult and arduous one among all lines of Taipei metro. The tunnels running through Zhonghe-Yonghe area had to pass under narrow streets, skyscrapers and crowded blocks, with limited spaces for underground station above ground. As a result, the whole neighborhood traffic had its so-called "Dark Ages" when the Cut-and-cover method was used for station platforms, concourses and crossovers during the 1990s. Besides the river-crossing section, the work suffered from biogas below the waterfront. After the construction, Zhonghe Line became more costly than all the other lines, 6,249 million NT dollars per kilometer.

Since the line opened for service on December 24, 1998, it has been the most important access to downtown Taipei for nearly half a million of commuters who live in the district.

Over the years, three versions of rolling stock were used on this line, as well as on the through services between Nanshijiao and Beitou. Originally, the line used a large fleet of C301 train sets. In 1999, only a few C341 train sets were used. In 2007, some C371 train sets were introduced. Today, the entire fleet used on this line is the C371 train sets after the original C301 train sets were confined to the Tamsui and Xindian Lines upon the opening of Dongmen Station on September 30, 2012.