Northern Taiwan's New Metro is Coming! Latest 8 Routes' 'Opening Timeline' Revealed, Tri-Rail Integration with TRA and HSR, Super Convenient for Taipei-New Taipei-Keelung-Taoyuan Commuters

New Taipei City's rail transit development has reached a new milestone! On the 5th, the New Taipei City Government's Department of Rapid Transit Systems presented a special report titled 'A New Future with Four Rings and Eight Lines, A Fully Connected New Taipei City' during the city council meeting, officially announcing the comprehensive upgrade of the New Taipei Metro network from 'Three Rings, Six Lines' to 'Four Rings, Eight Lines.' Mayor Hou You-yi stated that over the past eight years, four metro lines have been successively opened, achieving the longest operational mileage in Taiwan. By 2035, the entire metro network will expand to 189 kilometers and 182 stations, reaching a high density of 4.5 stations per 100,000 residents—surpassing both Tokyo, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea—and seamlessly connecting the daily commuting zone for nearly 10 million people across Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan.

Density surpasses Tokyo and Seoul! New Taipei Metro enters the 'Four Rings, Eight Lines' era

Connecting nearly 10 million people in the Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan region by 2035

In recent years, New Taipei City has vigorously promoted metro construction, successfully opening four lines over the past eight years: the Danhai Light Rail (Green Mountain and Blue Sea lines), the New Taipei Circular Line, the Ankeng Light Rail, and the Sanying Line. This has added 40 kilometers of track and 38 stations, increasing the total network length by 60%. Currently, the total operational metro length within New Taipei City has reached 108 kilometers, ranking first in Taiwan. The average daily ridership has also surged 13-fold from just over 9,000 passengers at the end of 2018 to over 120,000, indicating a significant increase in public reliance on the metro system.

Additionally, the Sanying Line, which opened on June 30, has performed exceptionally well, with cumulative ridership exceeding 980,000 in its first month. On weekends, it attracts an average of 51,000 passengers per day. The opening of the Sanying Line not only marks the official entry of Sanxia and Yingge into the metro era but also injects strong momentum into tourism at the Sanxia Old Street and Yingge Ceramics Old Street, boosting foot traffic in surrounding commercial areas by 20% to 30%.

New Taipei Metro's 'Four Rings, Eight Lines.' (Image/Source: New Taipei City Government Department of Rapid Transit Systems)

Two key new routes added to the 2035 blueprint! The 'Fourth Ring' connects the Taipei-New Taipei tech corridor

Facing the continuous expansion of the Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan living circle, New Taipei City has outlined a long-term development blueprint for 'Four Rings, Eight Lines' by 2035, adding over 30 major transfer nodes to seamlessly integrate with the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), Taiwan High-Speed Rail (HSR), and the Taoyuan Airport MRT. Among them, the 'Fourth Ring' connects the Wugu-Taishan-Banqiao Line, Wanda-Zhonghe Line, New Taipei Circular Line, North-South Loop, and East Loop, forming a ring-shaped backbone around the outer perimeter of New Taipei City and precisely aligning with the Taipei-New Taipei technology industry corridor.

Under the 'Eight Lines' plan, in addition to the Danhai Line, Ankeng Line, Xizhi-Minsheng Line, Keelung Line, Bali Line, and Shiding Line, two new cross-city key routes have been added this year:

Zhonghe Guangfu Line: 3.2 kilometers long, using a medium-capacity system with 4 underground stations. It extends from Xiulang Bridge Station to Gongguan Station in Taipei City, enabling transfers with the New Taipei Circular Line and Songshan-Xindian Line. The feasibility study was submitted for central government review in July this year.

Xin Tao Lin Line: 8.22 kilometers long, using a light rail system with 12 elevated stations. It spans from Linkou City to Guishan in Taoyuan, directly connecting via aerial walkways to the Airport MRT's Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Station and Linkou Station, linking the New Taipei AI+ Smart Park and the Wuyi Science and Technology Park. The feasibility study is expected to be completed and submitted for review this year.

Taiwan's largest metro construction period! 7 lines under simultaneous construction, interface reserved for New Taipei Dome shuttle

Director Li Zheng-an of the New Taipei City Government's Department of Rapid Transit Systems added that the city is currently in the largest metro construction phase in its history, with seven lines under construction simultaneously: 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 reaches 70 kilometers (41 kilometers within New Taipei City, 39 stations).

Among them, the Wanda-Zhonghe Line, which is 85.6% complete, is scheduled for completion in 2027. The Tucheng-Shulin Line, now fully under construction, has already been planned with future considerations for the 'New Taipei Dome' site. The Department of Rapid Transit Systems has proactively deployed measures, including preliminary assessments to increase train capacity and reserve an interface at the north exit of Station LG18 to connect with the future dome platform, fully preparing for the influx of crowds from sports events and large concerts.