The Circular or Yellow line (code Y) ( zh, t=環狀線) is a metro line in

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

, part of the

New Taipei Metro New Taipei Metro () is a transit system serving New Taipei City, New Taipei, Taiwan, operated by . The Danhai light rail, Ankeng light rail, and Circular line (New Taipei Metro), Circular line are currently in operation, while the Sanying line i ...

, which was previously a line of the

Taipei Metro Taipei Metro (also known as Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei) is a rapid transit system operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan. It was the first rapi ...

. Currently the line runs between and , it is approximately long with 14 stations. This initial section was opened on 31 January 2020.

Hitachi Rail Italy Hitachi Rail Italy S.p.A. is a multinational rolling stock manufacturer company based in Pistoia, Italy. Formerly AnsaldoBreda S.p.A., a subsidiary of state-owned Finmeccanica, the company was sold in 2015 to Hitachi Rail of Japan. After the dea ...

supplied 17 sets of 4-car driverless medium-capacity trains for the line. Extensions to the north and south are currently under construction.

Construction

Hitachi Rail STS Hitachi Rail STS SpA (from ''Hitachi Rail Signalling and Transportation Systems'') or Hitachi Rail STS (previously Ansaldo STS) is an Italian transportation company owned by Hitachi with a global presence in the field of railway signalling and in ...

supplied electromechanical equipment for the line, including driverless technology and

CBTC Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accurat ...

signaling. , currently the only underground station on the line, was constructed by RSEA Engineering Corporation and employed the

cut-and-cover A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two Portal (architecture), portals common at each end, though ther ...

method. Construction for the first phase officially broke ground on 11 July 2011 on a elevated section between Zhonghe and Banqiao. The section is estimated to cost NT$13.7 billion, with the entire first-stage route estimated to cost NT$54.7 billion to construct. The line includes the first elevated

split platform A split platform, stacked platform, or separate platform is a railway station, station that has a railway platform, platform for each track, split onto two or more levels. This configuration allows a narrower station plan (or footprint) horizon ...

s in the system at , , and due to the narrowness of the available station area. The initial section between and opened on 31 January 2020. On 5 May 2023, the Circular line has been transferred from the

to the

, with the fare structure still integrated with Taipei Metro system, unlike light rail lines of New Taipei Metro.

Public art

Unlike previous public art installations on the metro, it was decided that a smaller number of art pieces would be installed within the same budget, allowing for large-scale artwork. Across the above ground section of the line,

Emmanuelle Moureaux Emmanuelle Moureaux (born 1971) is a Tokyo based French architect and designer who is known for implementation of color throughout her designs. Emmanuelle fell in love with Shimura, an outskirt city of Tokyo, Japan, while doing research for her ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

based

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architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and designer) spread distinctive bold colours across infrastructure – including steel beams and pillars, noise barriers, 13 stations and platforms, a bridge over the

Tamsui River The Tamsui River (alternatively Danshui River, ) is the third longest river in Taiwan after Zhuoshui River and Gaoping River, with a total length of , flowing through Hsinchu County, Taoyuan, Taipei and New Taipei City. It is located in the ...

, and the exterior and interior design of the train. The platforms, walls and ceilings of

Banqiao station Banqiao () is a railway and metro station in New Taipei, Taiwan served by Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), TRA, Taipei Metro and New Taipei Metro. With the exception of the Circular Line, all other tracks and platforms in the station are loca ...

are decorated by French artist

Daniel Buren Daniel Buren (born 25 March 1938, in Boulogne-Billancourt) is a French conceptual artist, painter, and sculptor. He has won numerous awards including the Golden Lion for best pavilion at the Venice Biennale (1986), the International Award for ...

, using regular, contrasting coloured stripes.

Stations in operation

The western section of the line officially opened on 31 January 2020. Services between Zhonghe and Banqiao were temporarily suspended from 3 April 2024 onwards due to the

2024 Hualien earthquake On 3 April 2024, at 07:58:11 Time in Taiwan, NST (23:58:11 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC on 2 April), a 7.4 earthquake struck south of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. At least 19 people were killed and over 1,100 were injured in the ea ...

, with the repair work expected to take one year to complete. The section reopened earlier than estimated on 12 December 2024 at 12:00 PM

Taiwan Standard Time National Standard Time is the official time zone in Taiwan defined by an UTC offset of +08:00. This standard is also known as Taipei Time (), Taiwan Time () or Taiwan Standard Time (TST). History The first time zone standard in Taiwan was en ...

Stations under construction

The north and south sections are approved for construction, which is currently underway. The estimated completion date for those sections is 2029.

South section

Stations Y01–06 are approved for construction. (Unopened stations' names are to be confirmed)

North section

Stations Y21–32 are approved for construction. (Unopened stations' names are to be confirmed)

East section

Stations Y33-42 are approved for construction. After this section is complete, the Circular line will form a circle. (Unopened stations' names are to be confirmed)

Notes

References

{{Authority control Taipei Metro lines New Taipei Metro Standard-gauge railways in Taiwan Railway lines opened in 2020 Circular line (New Taipei Metro) Rapid transit systems under construction