“Four Loops, Eight Lines” Transforms New Taipei: Connecting the 10-Million-Person Keelung–Taipei–New Taipei–Taoyuan Region, with 4 New MRT Lines Opened in 8 Years and Daily Ridership Soaring 13-Fold!

The New Taipei City Government’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems presented a special report titled “Four Loops, Eight Lines: A New Future, Fully Connected New Taipei” at today’s (5th) city council meeting, announcing a new milestone in the city’s MRT development. Mayor Hou You-yi stated that over the past eight years, New Taipei has opened four MRT lines, fully upgrading from the “Three Loops, Six Lines” plan to “Four Loops, Eight Lines.” In the future, the MRT network within New Taipei will extend to 189 kilometers with 182 stations, connecting the daily commuting needs of nearly 10 million residents across the Keelung–Taipei–New Taipei–Taoyuan region and creating a fully interconnected transportation system.

Director Li Zheng-an of the MRT Bureau explained the tangible upgrades achieved over the past eight years. Four lines—New Taipei Circular Line, Danhai Line, Ankeng Line, and Sanying Line—have opened successively, adding 40 kilometers and 38 stations. The network length has increased by 60%, and the current operational MRT network within New Taipei now spans 108 kilometers, ranking first nationwide. The average daily ridership of New Taipei MRT has surged 13-fold from just over 9,000 in December 2018 to over 120,000 passengers.

Mayor Hou provided detailed remarks on the Sanying Line, which opened on June 30. In its first month, ridership exceeded 980,000, averaging 51,000 on holidays, with a maximum capacity of 18,000 passengers per hour. The convenience of the MRT has not only officially ushered Sanxia and Yingge into the MRT era but has also substantially increased foot traffic to the Sanxia Old Street and Yingge Ceramics Old Street by 20–30%, injecting strong momentum into the local economy.

Mayor Hou further stated that in response to the continuous population and industrial growth in the Keelung–Taipei–New Taipei–Taoyuan metropolitan area, New Taipei City has built upon the “Three Loops, Six Lines” framework to establish a long-term development blueprint for “Four Loops, Eight Lines” by 2035. This plan will achieve a station density of 4.5 stations per 100,000 residents—surpassing that of Tokyo and Seoul. The “Fourth Loop” will connect the Wugu-Taishan-Banqiao Line, Wanda-Zhonghe Line, New Taipei Circular Line, North-South Loop, and East Loop, forming an outer loop backbone and creating a dual-north technology industry corridor. The “Eight Lines” include the Danhai Line, Ankeng Line, Xizhi-Minsheng Line, Keelung Line, Bali Line, Shenkeng Line, and newly added lines such as the Zhonghe-Guangfu Line connecting to Taipei City and the Xin-Tao-Lin Line linking to Taoyuan. The “Four Loops, Eight Lines” network will feature over 30 new key transfer nodes, seamlessly integrating the MRT with TRA, HSR, and Airport MRT systems to serve the daily commuting needs of nearly 10 million people.

Director Li Zheng-an added that seven MRT lines are currently under simultaneous construction in New Taipei. These include the Wanda-Zhonghe Line, Tucheng-Shulin Line, Circular Line North-South Loop, Xizhi-Donghu Line, Keelung Line, Sanying Line Extension to Bade, and Danhai Line Phase II. The total construction length is 70 kilometers, covering 65 stations, with 41 kilometers and 39 stations located within New Taipei City—marking the largest-scale MRT construction period in the city’s history. The Wanda-Zhonghe Line project has already reached 85.6% completion, with completion expected in 2027. The Tucheng-Shulin Line has achieved the milestone of “full-line groundbreaking.” In anticipation of the New Taipei Dome’s location, the MRT Bureau is preliminarily evaluating measures such as purchasing additional trains and reserving interface connections at the north exit of Station LG18 to prepare for future crowds.