Transportation in Taichung
Taichung is located in central Taiwan and is the third largest city in the island country.
Train service
Taichung Station is located on Jianguo Road (建國路). There is a small square in the front of the station, and numerous bus companies have stations within a three-minute walk of the station. They provide local bus service along with long-distance bus services, many of which are to districts or townships not served by trains. The same pass card can be used for both trains and buses and there are discounts for students and senior citizens.
Taichung Station lies on the mountain line or formally Taichung Line, which splits from the coastal line from Changhua City in the south, to Zhunan, near Hsinchu, in the north. There are regular trains to Changhua from downtown Taichung where the traveller reaches the coastal line. Several train stations lie in different districts in Taichung.
The new High Speed Rail services Metropolitan Taichung via a station in Wuri District. There are regular City Bus services with several routes running between many places and the High Speed Rail Station. There are three or more THSR trains in either direction every hour and it takes under an hour to get to Taipei in the North or Kaohsiung in the South.
MRT under construction
The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) of Taichung is under construction and planning. The Red Line has been under construction since September 2009. The elevated section will go between Fengyuan Station and Daqing Station and is set to be finished by 2016. The Green Line, meanwhile, also known as the Wuri-Wenxin-Beitun Line, will connect Dingjiushe to Xinwuri and is estimated to completed by 2018.
BRT service
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The BRT in Taichung has been planned for years. The company of Taichung BRT was established on 17 October 2012, and the construction of the Blue Line priority section lying on Taiwan Boulevard (臺灣大道) started 17 July 2013. The priority section of Blue Line, with half of the stations open, started operation on 28 July 2014, and all stations along the section will be open on 17 August 2014. Taking the BRT is for free for the first year.
The BRT service ended on 8 July 2015 because of the new policy announced on 30 March 2015. The BRT Lane was adjusted to ordinary Bus Lane, allowing its lane room to a few other routes which mainly operate along Taiwan Boulevard. From then on, the BRT Blue Line was no longer called BRT Blue Line but Bus Route 300 instead.
| the former BRT Blue Line (藍線) (from 28 July 2014 to 7 July 2015) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station Number | Station Name (Chinese) | Station Name (English) | Location | |
| A01 | 臺中火車站 | Taichung Railway Station | In front of Taichung Railway Station (Jianguo Rd.) (建國路) | |
| A03 | 仁愛醫院 (僅西行) | Jen-Ai Hospital (only westbound) | Liuchuan E. Rd. (柳川東路)/Xingzhong St. (興中街) Intersection | |
| A05 | 茄苳腳 | Qie Dong Jiao | Meichuan W. Rd. (梅川西路)/Duxin St. (篤信街) Intersection | |
| A06 | 中正國小 | Chung-Cheng Elementary School | Daren St. (大仁街)/Yingcai Rd. (英才路) Intersection | |
| A07 | 科博館 | National Museum of Natural Science | Jianxing Rd. (健行路)/Meicun Rd. (美村路) Intersection | |
| A08 | 忠明國小 | Chung-Ming Elementary School | Zhongming Rd. (忠明路)/Zhongming S. Rd. (忠明南路) Intersection | |
| A09 | 頂何厝 | Ding He Cuo | Hankou Rd. (漢口路)/Dongxing Rd. (東興路) Intersection | |
| A10 | 市政府 | Taichung City Hall | Wenxin Rd. (文心路) Intersection | |
| A11 | 新光/遠百 | Shin Kong Mitsukoshi/Top City Dept. Store | Huilai Rd. (惠來路) Intersection | |
| A12 | 秋紅谷 | Maple Valley Garden | Chaofu Rd. (朝富路) Intersection | |
| A13 | 福安 | Fu-An | Anhe Rd. (安和路) Intersection | |
| A14 | 中港新城 | Zhonggang New Community | Zhonggong Third Rd. (中工三路)/Yongfu Rd. (永福路) Intersection | |
| A15 | 中港澄清 | Cheng Ching Hospital | Fukang Rd. (福康路)/Zhonggong Second Rd. (中工二路) Intersection | |
| A16 | 玉門路 | Yumen Rd. | Yumen Rd. (玉門路) Intersection | |
| A17 | 榮總/東海大學 | Taichung Veterans General Hospital/Tunghai University | Dongda Rd. (東大路) Intersection | |
| A18 | 東海別墅 | Dong Hai Bie Shu Shopping District | Guoji St. (國際街)/Dongyuan Ln. (東園巷) Intersection | |
| A19 | 坪頂 | Ping Ding | Youyuan Rd. (遊園路) Intersection | |
| A20 | 正英路 | Zhengying Rd. | Zhengying Rd. (正英路) Intersection | |
| A21 | 弘光科技大學 | Hungkuang University | In front of Hungkuang University | |
| A22 | 晉江寮 | Jin Jiang Liao | Dongjin E. Rd. (東晉東路) Intersection | |
| A23 | 靜宜大學 | Providence University | In front of Providence University | |
Taichung City Bus
There have been slightly more than 200 routes in the network of Taichung City Bus at the present in 2015.
The fares are calculated by mileage per ride. The basic fare is NT$20 for 10 km, and the extended fare is NT$2.431*(1+5% tax included) per km and round to the nearest integer.
Operators
| name | translated name | number of routes running | total running mileage in kilometer (Sep. 2016 data) | number of vehicles in service (Sep. 2016 data) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 臺中汽車客運股份有限公司 台中客運 |
Taichung Bus Company, Ltd. Taichung Bus |
50 | 1,451.45 | 404 |
| 仁友汽車客運股份有限公司 仁友客運 |
Ren-Yeou Bus Company, Ltd. Renyou Bus |
9 | 329.10 | 73 |
| 統聯汽車客運股份有限公司 統聯客運 |
United Highway Bus Company Limited Ubus |
23 | 495.70 | 300 |
| 巨業交通股份有限公司 巨業交通 |
Geya Bus Transportation Geya Bus |
14 | 565.87 | 58 |
| 全航汽車客運股份有限公司 全航客運 |
Chuan Hang Bus Company Limited Chuan Hang Bus |
8 | 199.80 | 71 |
| 彰化汽車客運股份有限公司 彰化客運 |
Chang Hua Bus Company Limited Chang Hua Bus |
1 | 19.25 | 7 |
| 豐原汽車客運股份有限公司 豐原客運 |
Fengyuan Bus Transportation Co., Ltd. Fengyuan Bus |
85 | 1951.05 | 238 |
| 和欣汽車客運股份有限公司 和欣客運 |
HO-HSIN BUS TRAFFIC CO.,LTD. Ho Hsin Bus |
2 | 29.70 | 16 |
| 東南汽車客運股份有限公司 東南客運 |
Southeast Bus Company Limited Southeast Bus |
6 | 123.85 | 42 |
| 豐榮汽車客運股份有限公司 豐榮客運 |
Green Transit Co., Ltd. Green Transit |
4 | 64.85 | 25 |
| 苗栗汽車客運股份有限公司 苗栗客運 |
MiaoLi Transportation Co., Ltd. Miaoli Bus |
1 | 50.60 | 4 |
| 中台灣客運股份有限公司 中台灣客運 |
Central Taiwan Bus Company Limited Central Taiwan Bus/CTbus |
14 | 463.48 | 101 |
| 南投汽車客運股份有限公司 南投客運 |
NANTOU BUS TRANSPORTATION CO.,LTD. Nantou Bus |
1 | 14.60 | 2 |
| 四方股份有限公司 四方客運 |
?? SF E-bus |
1 | 8.90 | 5 |
| 捷順交通股份有限公司 捷順交通 |
?? Jieshun Bus |
4 | 94.40 | 20 |
| 中鹿汽車客運股份有限公司 中鹿客運 |
?? Zhonglu Bus |
1 | ? | ? |
Long distance bus service
Seven bus companies offer service from Taichung city to points outside the Taichung area. Some of the local bus companies have received permission to establish routes to e.g., Taipei.
- Changhua Bus Company – Through its hub in Changhua City, just to the south of Taichung, Changhua Bus Company offers service to most of Changhua County as well as popular spots in Nantou County, including Nantou City, Caotun, and Puli.
- Yuanlin Bus Company – Like Changhua Bus Company, it is based in Changhua County, though in the town of Yuanlin, which is south of Changhua City. Many buses travel between downtown Taichung and its hub of Yuanlin. From there, it is possible to get buses to most of southern and western Changhua County as well as to Lugang on the coast.
- U-Bus Company – U-Bus has routes all over western Taiwan from Taipei to Kaohsiung. They offer service to those two cities, as well as Tainan City and the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. They offer service both from the Taichung Train Station and the Chaoma Bus Station.
- Kuo-kuang Bus Company – Kuo-Kuang has a national reach with bus stations all over the country. The main Taichung station is located adjacent to Taichung's main train station. They also have stations at Chaoma and Shuinan. They offer service to many places, including Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Hsinchu, Keelung, Banciao, and Sun Moon Lake.
- Dragon Bus Company – Dragon bus primarily offers to and from Taipei. Their main Taichung station is at Gancheng, but they offer stops all along Taichung Harbor Road to the expressway that leads to and from Taipei City.
- Free Go (Flying Dog) – Free Go (or Flying Dog as its Chinese name translates as) offers service primarily from Taichung City to Taipei City and the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Their main Taichung station is at Gancheng, but they pick up and drop off passengers at locations including the Taichung Train Station, Chungshan Medical University, Chaoma and Shuinan.
- Aloha Bus Company – Aloha maintains two station in Taichung City, Gancheng and Chaoma. Service is offered to Taipei and Kaohsiung. Transportation to other cities can be arranged via either of those two cities.
- Ho-Hsin Bus Company – Ho-Hsin offers service to Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Zhongli.
iBike
Since July 2014, Taichung City started the Public Bicycles Renting Service, which is called iBike in Taichung. It belongs to the same system, YouBike, as Metropolitan Taipei (Taipei City and New Taipei City), Changhua County, Taoyuan City and Hsinchu City do. The service spots are continually added around downtown Taichung. There have been at least 306 service spots around all 29 districts in Taichung since 18 September 2018.
Sea Port
Port of Taichung, located on the coast of Taichung, is the second largest cargo facility on the island capable of handling container shipping. Despite being the second largest port on the island of Taiwan, there are no regular passenger ferry services available and the port is closed to unauthorized personnel.
Freeways and Expressways
National Highway No. 1, also known as the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway, passes through the western part of the city and has three interchanges in Taichung City. One is at Zhongqing Road (中清路), another at Taichung Harbor Road (中港路) and the southernmost at Wuquan West Road (五權西路).
Taichung-Zhanghua Expressway (中彰快速道路) is the main stretch of Provincial Highway No. 74 that runs from northwestern Taichung to the northern part of Zhanghua City (in Changhua County) just to the south of Taichung. At some points, it is just a few dozen meters east of the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway. While it does not connect directly to that highway, it does have an interchange with National Highway No. 3 in Taichung, where one can then access it in a couple of minutes.
Taichung-Nantou Expressway (中投公路) also known as Provincial Highway No. 63, runs from Taichung's Dali District to Nantou County. It can be accessed from downtown Taichung by driving on Wuquan South Road, where it becomes the Taichung-Nantou Expressway. While there is no direct interchange with National Highway No. 3, one can get off in Wufeng District and, after about two minutes on surface roads, easily access the highway.
Taichung International Airport
Taichung International Airport is the third and newest international airport in Taiwan.
The Taichung Airport civilian terminal is located on the western corner of CCK Air Force Base, 20 kilometers (12 mi) from downtown Taichung City. The main road linking Taichung and the airport is Zhongqing Road (Provincial Route 10.) The airport is located within a kilometer (1,100 yd) of the Shalu (沙鹿) Exit on National Highway Number 3.
In 2002, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications began working on a plan to move air traffic from Taichung's Shuinan Airport to Qingquangang (CCK) Air Force base to convert CCK into an international airport, since CCK had longer runways to allow for larger aircraft. The airport opened in early 2004. The opening of The Taichung Airport did spark a spat of partisan controversy about being incomplete and safety concerns were raised.
Taichung's airport handles scheduled domestic flights between Taichung and Hualien, Penghu, Nangan, and Kinmen, as well as many international destinations.
See also
References
- ^ "TRA targets shorter trips on competition". China Post. September 21, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-28.
- ^ "MRT networks to link up with high-speed rail". Taipei Times. February 9, 2000. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
- ^ "仁友客運公司 (Renyou Bus Company)". Retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ "Taichung Bus Company Local Routes". Retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ "Taichung City Local Bus Routes". Retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ "Fengyuan Bus Company timetable". Retrieved November 7, 2006.
- ^ "New Taiwan airport sparks political squabble". 4 March 2004. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
- ^ "Taiwan plans to increase LPG cars". October 2005. Archived from the original on 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2006-10-12.
External links
- Note – nearly all of these sites are in Chinese
Train service
Long-distance bus service
- "Changhua Bus Company".
- "Yuanlin Bus Company". Archived from the original on 2006-08-25.
- "U-Bus Company".
- "Kuo-Kuang Bus Company".
- "Dragon Bus Company".
- "Free Go Bus Company".
- "Aloha Bus Company".
- "Ho-Hsin Bus Company".