Kaohsiung Light Rail @ Taiwan

Light rail systems in Singapore don't have a good reputation, given their repeatedly breakdowns and high cost that make everyone wonder why we can't just invest in more public buses to navigate the existing roads instead. 

But the Kaohsiung Light Rail seemed different as it was more like a tram system with tracks on ground  and even accompanied with grass that I wondered if they were fake in the first place! 

Operational since 2017 "over a length of 22.1 kilometers" and with 38 stations that formed an inner loop within Kaohsiung City, it had a daily ridership of about 10,000, which is way lower than Singapore's Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (LRT), averaging about 64,000.

According to Wikipedia, each car is "34 meters (112 ft) in length, and are able to transport a total of 250 passengers (seated, and standing)". In comparison, each car for Bukit Panjang LRT is "12.8 meters long and has a capacity of 105 passengers".

Unlike Singapore's LRT, there was no barrier to the tracks and that to us was flabbergasting as it gave rise to a heightened safety risk. This reminded me of Hanoi Train Street, which had seen quite a few injuries. 

I am not worried about the Taiwanese, known for their consideration. civic and civil mindedness but it's always the foreigners, who would not know better. And to make things worse, the trains are driverless for Kaohsiung Light Rail.

The trains glided so smoothly along the tracks! I didn't manage to take Kaohsiung Light Rail in my recent trip but I would look forward to doing so in my next trip, which I hope would be very soon! 

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Website

https://www.krtc.com.tw/eng/KLRT/

 

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