I hope you can explaint about Jakarta, Indonesia Commuterline system. it's very unique ,there are 1000+ ex Japanese EMU such as the Tokyo Metro 6000,7000, Tokyu 8000/8500, and JR East 205.. You also need to cover about the system revolution because it's very awesome😃😃
Taipei's metro was the best public transport combined with U-bikes. This is coming from a Tokyo resident. Tokyo may have lots of lines and stations but lacks in designs that makes sense. In Taipei, I never got lost, platforms were clear on where they're headed to, and where's the exit. What a pleasure it was to use
You should have mentioned about the number of announcement languages used on the Taipei Metro: Mandarin, English, Hokkien (Min-nan), Hakka, and (on select stations) Japanese. When your train approaches Taipei Main Station, you'll hear 5 announcement languages about that.
Taipei is awesome. The system is quite orderly and fares are incredibly cheap. If you haven't done Seoul yet I think it's also an amazing system. It's a huge spread-out city with an enormous collection of transit lines. Bangkok is pretty fascinating too. They have a huge building spree going on now adding lines to the system. It's an enormous investment but given Bangkok's legendarily horrendous traffic issues they certainly had to do something.
Agree on doing a Seoul video! The T-money card is worth covering. As someone who doesn't speak the language having one fare card apply for the entire freaking country was incredible.
It was! One of the more pleasant city travel experiences I’ve ever had. It’s overwhelming how many destinations one can reach with ease, makes for tough trip-planning
Fun fact, Taipei MRT digs often have to pause due to archaeology and discovery of old walls and structures underneath. There's even a cute exhibit inside Beimen station (green line, iirc) that have a little excavation dig glassed up that you can peer at.
Being from Taiwan and having traveled around the world, I’m not shy to say that Taipei really has one of the most modern, cleanest, and most efficient metro systems in the world.
So true, I’ve made extensive use of the metro systems in Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Paris, London, Tokyo, and Osaka, and in terms of station coverage, logical arrangement of lines, excellence of stations the Taipei metro is by far my favorite. One can easily understand the layout in seconds, unlike Tokyo's nausea inducing, throw a bowl of ramen on a wall design (although I admit loving the Yamanote line a lot). The Taipei metro has got to be the world’s best, by far, no doubt about it.
@@hesomagari1019I found the coverage a bit lacking, there are some long station distances and the suburbs can be far from rail transport. London, Paris, Osaka, and Japan are def better imo, but it’s still an amazing system
It's a hard tie for me between Taipei and Bangkok. Having been to both cities I really enjoy both systems and am blown away by how rapidly Bangkok is opening new stations and lines. Taipei definitely utilizes more "safety doors" vs Bangkok but the Bangkok MRT is very much on par with Taipei Metro. Either way both cities have done a great job of having clean, safe and on time trains as well as facilities.
Thanks Reece, I used to live in Taipei in the early 2010's and the MRT system was vital for quickly getting around. Keen to point out that to travel on this network is incredibly cheap between stations though there is no day ticket. A smartcard is purchasable at all MRT stations and the credit can even be used in many shops not even associated with the station! At the time, the Taoyuan Airport MRT was under construction. Its HUGE!! Back in 2013 the 20 mile journey had to be completed by coach (£4) or by taxi (£20.) Back in 2019 I returned and was able to use the Airport express MRT service and WOW!!! - what a difference. What gets me is that they had to blast through a small mountain to get the line through. Up to that point the line climbs really high and you can feel the change in altitude. The link between Taipei Main Station and Taoyuan made ALL the difference. Fyi, I used to live along Fú Dé Street in the east, my closest MRT station was Yongchun on the blue line. That red line extension could've been more useful to me back then. Lol.
Another notable feature of the system that you alluded to, but deserves to be said explicitly is the quality of the stations. I've never been anywhere outside of Japan that has such extensive retail in many of the stations. Additionally, it's got really nice, clean bathrooms and something I've never seen anywhere else: breastfeeding rooms at 39 busy stations! Taipei's transit card, EasyCard, is somewhat like HongKong's Octopus Card or many of Japan's transit cards in that it can be used for a lot more than transit (convenience stores, etc). But in some ways, it's even more advanced as you can get SIM cards and phone apps that emulate EasyCard rather like in Shanghai. You can even get phone cases, keychains and watches (much cheaper than smart watches) that have EasyCard chips built in. My favourite integration is with the city's very extensive bike hire system -- just so simple! The system is just incredibly attuned to passenger experience in a way that many places could learn from.
Yup. Using EasyCard both for transport and to facilitate small payments (such as convenience stores) in a country where cash is still king is a great experience. Another reason I like it is the fact that there's no tracking of your purchases like banks do, since you can get an anonymous card.
Fun fact: Most of us used to call the Orange Line the "Yellow Line", until the Circular actual Yellow Line opened last year, which forced most of us to change our habit.
Thanks for this informative video! As a frequent visiter of Taiwan, I am always impressed by how great the Taipei MRT from how organized/convenient it is to how clean it is. In fact, there is a Taipei MRT Museum near Taipei that has a fully functional section of the MRT train that you can enter and control the doors to which is used to teach the evacuation procedures. It is also connected to a platform/station tunnel in which you are taught what to do if you ever fall onto the tracks. It is always a treat to ride on the MRT!
Best city to travel in, wonderful public transportation! Very well done, smart, easy to use and reliable. Everything is integrated, from public bicycles, buses, MRT, to Trains, and all with a single card. If I compare to Italian transportation I'll cry...
Suggestions to cover: Germany' number 2 and number 3 cities: Hamburg and Munich. Especially Hamburg is interesting with 100+ years of history, elevated sections, ferries, and s-Bahn on top of the U-Bahn, S-Bahn interlining with regional rail (dual power), etc.
In fact, before 2000, there are only three lines: brown line from Taipei Zoo to Zhongshan Junior High School, red line above CKS Memorial Hall and Green line below that station and orange line from Guting to Nanshijiao(Trains travel from Tamsui to Xindian and from Beitou to Nanshijiao), and blue line. In the past decade, we called the routes of Metro Taipei "Double Tens".
just visited Taipei in November this year. A mundane and down-to-earth but incredibly efficient and productive train system. I felt so at peace every time I took a train in the city.
Zurich Explained would be my Candidate: The city has an interesting mass transit system, relying mostly on trams. Otherwise keep up the good work, Reece ❤
Taiwan/ROC's intercity rail operator Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) also runs commuter rail service thru Taipei, from the port city of _Keelung_ in the NE to _Miaoli/Taoyuan/Hsinchu_ in the SW. They just bought 10-car rolling stock from Hyundai Rotem (EMU900) with a mix of transverse & longitudinal seating, but running with 25kV AC overhead wires & Cape track gauge instead. They have older stock too e.g. EMU700, 800
Great video! I am a Vancouverite born in Taipei. I've been on Metros in different parts of the world but can say hands down Taipei MRT is the best system that I've experienced (most reliable, clean and safe) I have experience from the late 90s and also just from a couple of years ago and the system has not deviated much over the years. Skytrain in Vancouver is pretty decent in terms of reliability but cleanliness and lack of amenities puts in back in the pack.
Oh my word! You’ve done such a great job explaining the rail system! I have not gone back since 2008! I’d love to go back and visit utilize what you’ve highlighted here. Thank you for such a great job on this segment!
Having recently travelled to Taipei I can say that this Metro system is one of the better that I've experienced. As you say, the airport line is very similar to HK. Though I prefer the type of carriage used on the HK line, as it's more comfortable compared to the metro styling seating used in Taiwan.
@@BLACKSTA361 Hong Kong is the gold standard as far as I'm concerned. I never waited more than a couple of minutes for a train, the carriages were in perfect condition, and the Octopus card system worked great as well.
@@jacobmtaylor I fail to notice any difference between using the Octopus (HK) and YoYo Cards (TPE). Both work pretty much perfectly. Personally I prefer TPE (better line coverage where as HK misses quite a few bits of the city although both are very god. HK airport line is fast but REALLY expensive compared with TPE.
The tyne and wear metro. It's interesting because it's almost entrirely above ground and serves a lot of really low density areas. Plus the looping arrangement of the lines is quite unique.
My favourite aspect of the Taipei Metro when I was there was the "train approaching" music. Not a chime or a tone as in the West, but a pretty little musical number for each line.
Amazing work! Would love a video on the rail transit network in Milano metro area! We have a metro (4 Lines and soon a 5th), trams, and suburban rail. Keep it up!
Thanks for the great overview of Taipei Metro lines. If the intention is to provide a chronological development it will be better to split the lines into their initial development first and then show their (sometimes much) later multiple extensions, including line routing modifications (red line/green line / orange line changed over time). E.g. The brown line stopped prior to Songshan airport originally and was only extended in the 2000s. The red line did NOT end at XinYi (this was added in the 2010s). The blue line was extended towards the east and west several times. The Orange Line Y extension came also in the 2010s as well as the east-west part of the green line. While very detailed and convoluted, it might be helpful to show this to understand the progress and balance between inner-city development and reaching out to the suburbs (TTY Airport Express).
One of the cool thing about this metro is its profitability despite very affordable ticket price as it is used extensively especially along the high capacity lines. I feel crippled living in Toronto without a car, yet I don't have an urge to own a car living in Taipei for the past 5 years.
One minor correction on the timeline of the line construction, the red line when first opened actually run only north south form tamsui to xindian, which covers what is now part of the red line and green line, and does not make the turn to run east-west until the completion of xinyi line (the east-west portion of red line) much later
Fantastic video. I've lived in Taipei for many years and it's truly a very efficient and clean system, much different from European systems. I would also humbly suggest a video on the Istanbul metro system. It's currently the city where most metro lines are built simultaneously in the world. And where the famous Marmaray line under the Bosphorus is operating.
Great as usual. I haven't been to Taipei for a few years but do remember the excellent metro system when I was there. I would love to see you do an explained video on a lesser know system. One that comes to mind is Cairo, Egypt. The government has been throwing money into a new road system, one of the longest monorail systems in the world and apparently, I read today, a high speed train system too. Everyone knows London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc have amazing systems, but what about the up and coming ones?
I worked on the Taiwan High Speed Rails civils construction around Hsin Chu, many tunnels and bridges. Started tunneling in London in the 1960s, 7 Years in Egypt on the Suez Road tunnel, Cairo Wastewater and line One of the Metro. Rail tunnels in Denmark and Canada. Sewer and water tunnels in Hing Kong, UK. Finished my career again in London with a short stint on Crossrail. The last contract before retiring was Line one KL Metro Malaysia, though this was my 2nd stint there as I'd worked on the Smart road/water tunnel. Between tunnel projects also was a road manager for the Small Faces, worked on 2 Bond Films and The Eagle Has Landed film.
Fun fact, Xinbeitou and its southern counterpart Xiaobitan were infamously "hated" for two different reasons. The former runs through a dense residential area and made so much noise people actually threw CRT TVs onto the elevated track from nearby buildings to protest. Since then, the train is shortened to 3 carriages, additional soundproofing was added, and the train has an arbitrary speed limit of 30kph running through it. The latter is recently hot on debate due to its use of the pocket track in the Cizhang station to reverse into the cramped 2-platform station. This causes the shortened Green service to only stop at Taipower Building, one station short of Gongguan where National Taiwan University resides and has way more bus transfers compared to Taipower Building. Both of these lines have too few passengers utilizing it too until recently when IKEA opened up in Xiaobitan.
There’s actually a time that Taipei Metro use numbers to sort every line Now they use colors 2:34 Red Line used the old trail of the TRA Tamsui Branch Line, which was closed in 1988
Rotterdam has quite an interesting transit system consisting of a metro, tram and at some point a tram train ish system for the metro. And an abandoned station that'll be used for a future metro expansion. Also a nice feature being one of the lines terminal stations is directly on the beach front
Amazing work! Two suggestions: NYC Subway (Crazy interlining, extensive express services, formerly three separate operators, many lines used to be main line railroads, 24/7/365 service) MARTA (Short but sweet system in Atlanta)
I just rewatched your video after visiting. I was pretty blown away by the overall Taipei system, but also the rider experience. Hot take, I think the rider experience was the best I've experienced anywhere, including Tokyo. However, I also went to some other cities in Taiwan and was blown away at the difference in a city like Taichung. Taichung has one rail line and is SO car centric. Don't know if this is in your wheelhouse or exactly what the video would be, but the disparity seems crazy to me for two cities that are just 1hr apart on the HSR.
Buenos Aires Subte. About 14 years ago, while studying there, the A Line still had wooden subway cars. These were replaced w modern cars in the last 10 years. It opened in 1913, making it the oldest in Latin America and older than any in Spain as well. It has also been steadily expanding. Similar to Eastern European metros, where lines connect, they do so at adjacent and connected stations with different names (odd and annoying). If I remember right, it also runs on the left (another oddity for Latin America). It isn't as big as Sao Paulo, Mexico City's, or Santiago's but, It's a beautiful metro that rarely gets any attention.
Would love to see one for Manchester Metrolink. While it's a tram system, it uses loads of old rail lines, and had an amazing expansion over the past 14 years.
I remember being at the zoo stop on the brown line and seeing station cleaners open up a storm grate and hand scrub inside the drain as the rest of the station was spotless. That was the moment I gave up on the NYC MTA.
The Rotterdam metro network would make a nice explainer. Not only is it the largest network in the Benelux (yes, Amsterdam and Brussels are smaller) with connections as 'far away' as Den Haag (The Hague), but the network also use a mix of 3rd rail and overhead line power supply, and the trains switch modes WHILE DRIVING without any disruption, and don't forget the use of old railway lines. Also a nice mention are the various transit hubs where regional and local bus lines end and people changes to the metro, so the busses don't have to drive all the way to a central hub like Central Station. The last fact I'll mention now is that a part of the network is - together with 3 tram lines in Den Haag - branded as 'RandstadRail' to transit between Rotterdam, Den Haag and Zoetermeer. At a part of the RandstadRail network both subway trains and trams share the tracks and stations have platforms on both heights of the vehicles.
Great video !!! if you're looking for some other cities to cover I think that the swiss cities are a very good example of how mid size (but very global) cities can have some of the best transit systems in the world while not relying on an expansive subway system but having the best streetcar / regional rail systems insted and being connected to each other via a great train system. Zurich is the best example with it's S-Bahn/streetcar system but Geneva just opened a new underground S-Bahn system called Leman express that links the city with it's french suburbs creating a pretty unique world class system (combined with an extensive bus/streetcar/boat network) for a city of 200000 citizen (1.2 million in the urban area covering 2 countries 2 swiss cantons and 2 french departements). If you need further informations I live in switzerland so don't hesitate to ask !!! Thanks again for your work
How about Nagoya? In addition to a bunch of subway lines some with through running to private local/regional rail, and local JR lines, it features a guideway bus, a commuter rail line, and a maglev line. (No, not the maglev Chūō Shinkansen, a low-speed local maglev line build to provide access to the site of Expo 2005)
Hi Reece, i think you should talk about Strasbourg, France. This city has a modest but interesting transit system based on trams and regional trains (TER), over France and Germany. The particularities are multiple like the international side of the system, the deep integration of bycicles, the features leading to help the people coming by car to access the city-center (mostly walkable and frankly terrible for cars). It's surely the opposite of northern american city but on a low budget because of the size of the city. I think it could be an interesting case. (you can ask if you need pictures or precise informations)
The east-to-west segments of the red and green lines were constructed much later. Before Dec 2014, the north-to-south segments of both lines operated as one continuous line.
Try covering Kuala Lumpur's metro system It's a relatively new system, first opened in 1995 and now comprises 2 commuter lines, 6 rapid transit lines, 1 BRT line, 1 Monorail line, & 2 airport lines.
C301 used to sound very authentic, many called it “gearbox sound”. Variable frequency drive on those trains was based on GTO thyristors and made this sound. C301s have been through an extensive modernization, so no more “gearboxes” on the metro
Same with the similar C151 rolling stock in Singapore when Toshiba started replacing the motors & propulsion system a few years back, but the contract for that was prematurely cancelled when our government then decided to replace the stock earlier with Bombardier (now Alstom) R151s
Your comment about density being too high for elevated track is an interesting one. In some ways, I think elevated track looks LESS of an eyesore in very dense and tall areas, because it doesn't tower over the landscape. I don't think elevated track above the Toronto street you showed would be sensitive to the local architecture, but it works fine in an area with lots of modern tall towers.
13:26 Meanwhile Singapore's new train lines are mostly underground as they mostly serve newer parts of downtown & the more peripheral parts of already existing suburbs that're already built up decades before (as opposed to the their town centres that're already mostly served by older lines), so there isn't a lot of space to build above ground. However I feel Downtown Line Stage 2 could've been built elevated above the Bt Timah Canal instead of tunnelled below to save money, as the canal is quite wide & thus has more space for above ground structures. If the line was built a few years later it'd also have been able to use the at-grade permanent way freed up when neighbouring Malaysia's national rail operator KTM cutback its service from Tg Pagar railway station at the edge of downtown to Woodlands Train Checkpoint at our international border in 2011, instead of having to spend more on tunnelling underground
He does have a point though. The Jingan Station (景安), the southern transfer for Circular and Orange Line, is locally infamous due to the fact that it's built directly on top of an existing 3-storey-tall speedway, making the station unprecedentedly 5 stories tall. Adding to the fact that the southbound Orange Line is 4 stories underground, a transfer between the two services requires a net 9 storey climb or descend down 5 sets of stairs/escalators. It's certainly a feat but honestly looks dystopian.
@@UrMomIsATitan I second this opinion. The narrow and winding streets are guarded by 60-year old dust layered apartments, and littered with all kinds of neon signs and random cables, which are already an eyesore. There is nothing aesthetically to lose by adding an elevated rails. Toronto is not comparable.
Sorry to bug you every time on this but you need to do the CSS&SB...it has all you need for a great video. Interurbans, a line that damn near went extinct due to the government, grass roots movements saving it, and now massive growth and new lines being built. It's the last interurban in North America and is just awesome.
Cross platform line transfer is A LOT of fun... Really... Nothing else in a subway as satisfying as perfectly timed arrival of two lines, passengers all walking briskly across the platform, and all done perfectly and on our merry way. As for lights on platform to warn of incoming trains. I still remember the time when my fellow countrymen are not that rule abiding, and IIRC the lights are added to encourage them to stay at a safe distance. I'm glad to say that the lights are no longer useful for that since like 20 years ago. They are more for "get ready to board", as etiquette is pretty good for a while now. The platform doors are sadly for suicide prevention then anything else.
You missed that the red line didn't open as it is now, it used to directly connect with the southern part of Green line before 2014. The green line didn't end at Songshan and the red line doesn't end in Xiangshan either.
Also there's a batch of high capacity trains made by United something (pardon my fuzzy memory) in New York in 1991. You can tell the age of the trains by the noise they make, older=louder. You can find a plaque on each train with information on who and when each were made.
Union Rail Car Partnership. The train parts were manufactured in Japan by Kawasaki and shipped to New York for assembly, then back to Taiwan for service. They've been around since the 90's. They're infamous for being extremely loud, energy inefficient and costly to maintain and sadly are being decommissioned. This model is very iconic among local trainspotters due to its very unique engine wind up sound and the fact that it is the only model of all Taipei Metro trains to have pneumatically actuated passenger doors. Look up Taipei Metro C301 on RUclips for videos of it.
I hope you eventually cover my homecity of Jakarta one day. We are heavily anticipating the huge new LRT network, opening this August, that will help commuters travel from the satellite cities to the heart of Jakarta
Just wanted to point out that the brown line is rubber-tyred! I guess regular viewers can deduce that from what you said about VAL but I was very surprised about that when I took it for the first time 😅
I believe I commented on the original one so I will try to do the same lol. The timeline is not really correct since many lines started service with only portions of the current/final route. For example, Brown or Wenhu Line only operated from the center of the city to Muzha area and was called Muzha Line, which brings the 2nd point. People here don't usually refer to these lines by the colors but rather the destinations. But color coded does make it easier for foreign travelers. The original Brown line goes to Muzha so it was named Muzha Line. When the northern portion was completed, the line then became WenHu Line since it now goes to NeiHu District to the north and Muzha area in WenShan Dist. in the south, hence WenHu Line. Another example, initially parts of the Red/Tamsui, Green/Xindian and Orange/Zhonghe Lines operated as one line. Trains runs between either Tamsui and Xindian or Beitou and Nanshijiao for years. They finally split and became separate lines when construction was completed. It's very complicated but probably doesn't matter in an introduction video. ;)
You could make a video on the Riyadh metro. Because it’s a very new system and much of it opened at the same time. And is very different to other systems in the world. I think this could be interesting.
It would be nice to see one about the Rio de Janeiro transit explained, it's not the best system in the world but it's very diverse, with undergroud, light rail, commuter rail, BRT and lots of others such as MotoTaxis for example. Just an idea
I hope you can explaint about Jakarta, Indonesia Commuterline system. it's very unique ,there are 1000+ ex Japanese EMU such as the Tokyo Metro 6000,7000, Tokyu 8000/8500, and JR East 205.. You also need to cover about the system revolution because it's very awesome😃😃
What would I suggest you cover??? Well, there is the Lille Metro which my parents keep telling me about, but I'd love to learn more about it... Also, if you need ideas for 01.04.2023 Reece, how about a Railways Explained on the NorthWestern Railway from the Island of Sodor?
Is there one on Seoul in the pipeline? One of the world's biggest (and still growing!) and best. Worth also mentioning that I think Seoul has the best wayfinding, maps in stations, etc. of any system I've been on.
This is a reupload due to technical issues, please enjoy if you haven't seen it before!
I hope you can explaint about Jakarta, Indonesia Commuterline system. it's very unique ,there are 1000+ ex Japanese EMU such as the Tokyo Metro 6000,7000, Tokyu 8000/8500, and JR East 205.. You also need to cover about the system revolution because it's very awesome😃😃
As a Torontonian who grew up in Taipei, this hits home and I'm rewatching the reupload
bro could you explain viennese metro or moscow metro
Do Taiwan Raiilways pls
Taipei's metro was the best public transport combined with U-bikes. This is coming from a Tokyo resident. Tokyo may have lots of lines and stations but lacks in designs that makes sense. In Taipei, I never got lost, platforms were clear on where they're headed to, and where's the exit. What a pleasure it was to use
You should have mentioned about the number of announcement languages used on the Taipei Metro: Mandarin, English, Hokkien (Min-nan), Hakka, and (on select stations) Japanese. When your train approaches Taipei Main Station, you'll hear 5 announcement languages about that.
Singapore just got jealous!
Dalian, Mainland China does the same thing: 5 languages (Mandarin, English, Korean, Japanese, Russian)
@@Mason-fc8gkSingapore sadly only has up to 4 at important stations, 2 at busy stations and 1 at others
@@Mason-fc8gk Why would Singapore jealous about Taipei? LOL
Hey added Korean at a few important stations
Taipei is awesome. The system is quite orderly and fares are incredibly cheap. If you haven't done Seoul yet I think it's also an amazing system. It's a huge spread-out city with an enormous collection of transit lines. Bangkok is pretty fascinating too. They have a huge building spree going on now adding lines to the system. It's an enormous investment but given Bangkok's legendarily horrendous traffic issues they certainly had to do something.
Agree on doing a Seoul video! The T-money card is worth covering. As someone who doesn't speak the language having one fare card apply for the entire freaking country was incredible.
Taiwan looks like such a cool country to visit! It must be easy to get around Taipei for tourists with this extensive system.
It was! One of the more pleasant city travel experiences I’ve ever had. It’s overwhelming how many destinations one can reach with ease, makes for tough trip-planning
Taiwan "looks like" a country, but it actually is not
@@2520WasTaken +25social credit score +25CCP tokens 👏🤣
@@footballfanstyleonye bruh social credit memes are everywhere
@@2520WasTaken It looks like a country because it is one
Fun fact, Taipei MRT digs often have to pause due to archaeology and discovery of old walls and structures underneath. There's even a cute exhibit inside Beimen station (green line, iirc) that have a little excavation dig glassed up that you can peer at.
Being from Taiwan and having traveled around the world, I’m not shy to say that Taipei really has one of the most modern, cleanest, and most efficient metro systems in the world.
So true, I’ve made extensive use of the metro systems in Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Paris, London, Tokyo, and Osaka, and in terms of station coverage, logical arrangement of lines, excellence of stations the Taipei metro is by far my favorite. One can easily understand the layout in seconds, unlike Tokyo's nausea inducing, throw a bowl of ramen on a wall design (although I admit loving the Yamanote line a lot). The Taipei metro has got to be the world’s best, by far, no doubt about it.
@@hesomagari1019I found the coverage a bit lacking, there are some long station distances and the suburbs can be far from rail transport. London, Paris, Osaka, and Japan are def better imo, but it’s still an amazing system
It's a hard tie for me between Taipei and Bangkok. Having been to both cities I really enjoy both systems and am blown away by how rapidly Bangkok is opening new stations and lines. Taipei definitely utilizes more "safety doors" vs Bangkok but the Bangkok MRT is very much on par with Taipei Metro. Either way both cities have done a great job of having clean, safe and on time trains as well as facilities.
True I've been there a month ago amazing transport,clean, discipline people ❤
Thanks Reece, I used to live in Taipei in the early 2010's and the MRT system was vital for quickly getting around. Keen to point out that to travel on this network is incredibly cheap between stations though there is no day ticket. A smartcard is purchasable at all MRT stations and the credit can even be used in many shops not even associated with the station!
At the time, the Taoyuan Airport MRT was under construction. Its HUGE!! Back in 2013 the 20 mile journey had to be completed by coach (£4) or by taxi (£20.) Back in 2019 I returned and was able to use the Airport express MRT service and WOW!!! - what a difference. What gets me is that they had to blast through a small mountain to get the line through. Up to that point the line climbs really high and you can feel the change in altitude. The link between Taipei Main Station and Taoyuan made ALL the difference.
Fyi, I used to live along Fú Dé Street in the east, my closest MRT station was Yongchun on the blue line. That red line extension could've been more useful to me back then. Lol.
Another notable feature of the system that you alluded to, but deserves to be said explicitly is the quality of the stations. I've never been anywhere outside of Japan that has such extensive retail in many of the stations. Additionally, it's got really nice, clean bathrooms and something I've never seen anywhere else: breastfeeding rooms at 39 busy stations!
Taipei's transit card, EasyCard, is somewhat like HongKong's Octopus Card or many of Japan's transit cards in that it can be used for a lot more than transit (convenience stores, etc). But in some ways, it's even more advanced as you can get SIM cards and phone apps that emulate EasyCard rather like in Shanghai. You can even get phone cases, keychains and watches (much cheaper than smart watches) that have EasyCard chips built in. My favourite integration is with the city's very extensive bike hire system -- just so simple!
The system is just incredibly attuned to passenger experience in a way that many places could learn from.
Yup. Using EasyCard both for transport and to facilitate small payments (such as convenience stores) in a country where cash is still king is a great experience. Another reason I like it is the fact that there's no tracking of your purchases like banks do, since you can get an anonymous card.
Fun fact: Most of us used to call the Orange Line the "Yellow Line", until the Circular actual Yellow Line opened last year, which forced most of us to change our habit.
???
@@jimmyhsiao 你們沒有這樣？我的朋友都這樣說……
I never actually experienced this as I actually immigrated fairly recently, but it's a story I hear a lot of my friends say.
In Chinese, I think most ppl refer to the lines by their names, such as the Wenhu Line or Bannan Line, and not by the color (Brown Line or Blue Line).
Really? Most people I know use the color system, they might be dumbing it down for me or something 😅
Thanks for this informative video! As a frequent visiter of Taiwan, I am always impressed by how great the Taipei MRT from how organized/convenient it is to how clean it is. In fact, there is a Taipei MRT Museum near Taipei that has a fully functional section of the MRT train that you can enter and control the doors to which is used to teach the evacuation procedures. It is also connected to a platform/station tunnel in which you are taught what to do if you ever fall onto the tracks. It is always a treat to ride on the MRT!
Best city to travel in, wonderful public transportation!
Very well done, smart, easy to use and reliable.
Everything is integrated, from public bicycles, buses, MRT, to Trains, and all with a single card.
If I compare to Italian transportation I'll cry...
I've lived in Taipei and New Taipei area since 2001. The metro and train system is incredible.
Suggestions to cover: Germany' number 2 and number 3 cities: Hamburg and Munich. Especially Hamburg is interesting with 100+ years of history, elevated sections, ferries, and s-Bahn on top of the U-Bahn, S-Bahn interlining with regional rail (dual power), etc.
Thank you for suggesting Hamburg. It is very affordable too.
In fact, before 2000, there are only three lines: brown line from Taipei Zoo to Zhongshan Junior High School, red line above CKS Memorial Hall and Green line below that station and orange line from Guting to Nanshijiao(Trains travel from Tamsui to Xindian and from Beitou to Nanshijiao), and blue line. In the past decade, we called the routes of Metro Taipei "Double Tens".
"Double-Cross" will be easier to comprehend by English speakers
For foreign language users who can‘t understand ”Double Ten“.
The word “Double Ten” looks like this in Taiwan: 卄（Ten is like “十”）
just visited Taipei in November this year. A mundane and down-to-earth but incredibly efficient and productive train system. I felt so at peace every time I took a train in the city.
Zurich Explained would be my Candidate: The city has an interesting mass transit system, relying mostly on trams. Otherwise keep up the good work, Reece ❤
Taiwan/ROC's intercity rail operator Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) also runs commuter rail service thru Taipei, from the port city of _Keelung_ in the NE to _Miaoli/Taoyuan/Hsinchu_ in the SW. They just bought 10-car rolling stock from Hyundai Rotem (EMU900) with a mix of transverse & longitudinal seating, but running with 25kV AC overhead wires & Cape track gauge instead. They have older stock too e.g. EMU700, 800
Hi! I would love your take on the bonkers situation of the Charleroi Metro. It's amazing (and not specifically in a good way)
Tim traveller fan here?
Yes!
Great video! I am a Vancouverite born in Taipei. I've been on Metros in different parts of the world but can say hands down Taipei MRT is the best system that I've experienced (most reliable, clean and safe) I have experience from the late 90s and also just from a couple of years ago and the system has not deviated much over the years. Skytrain in Vancouver is pretty decent in terms of reliability but cleanliness and lack of amenities puts in back in the pack.
I really liked the video, it explained the Taipei subway system very well, congratulations from Brazil!
Oh my word! You’ve done such a great job explaining the rail system! I have not gone back since 2008! I’d love to go back and visit utilize what you’ve highlighted here.
Thank you for such a great job on this segment!
Having recently travelled to Taipei I can say that this Metro system is one of the better that I've experienced. As you say, the airport line is very similar to HK. Though I prefer the type of carriage used on the HK line, as it's more comfortable compared to the metro styling seating used in Taiwan.
Overall is taipei or hongkongs network better tho?
@@BLACKSTA361 Hong Kong is the gold standard as far as I'm concerned. I never waited more than a couple of minutes for a train, the carriages were in perfect condition, and the Octopus card system worked great as well.
@@jacobmtaylor I fail to notice any difference between using the Octopus (HK) and YoYo Cards (TPE). Both work pretty much perfectly. Personally I prefer TPE (better line coverage where as HK misses quite a few bits of the city although both are very god. HK airport line is fast but REALLY expensive compared with TPE.
Thank you for featuring one of the metro systems in Taiwan!
I was in Taipeh couple of years ago and was very impressed by the efficiency of transport. It’s so easy, efficient and fairly priced.
The tyne and wear metro. It's interesting because it's almost entrirely above ground and serves a lot of really low density areas. Plus the looping arrangement of the lines is quite unique.
My favourite part of the system is the station arrival music that is unique for each line :) my fave is the red line’s tune
My favourite aspect of the Taipei Metro when I was there was the "train approaching" music. Not a chime or a tone as in the West, but a pretty little musical number for each line.
Amazing work!
Would love a video on the rail transit network in Milano metro area! We have a metro (4 Lines and soon a 5th), trams, and suburban rail. Keep it up!
Thanks for the great overview of Taipei Metro lines. If the intention is to provide a chronological development it will be better to split the lines into their initial development first and then show their (sometimes much) later multiple extensions, including line routing modifications (red line/green line / orange line changed over time). E.g. The brown line stopped prior to Songshan airport originally and was only extended in the 2000s. The red line did NOT end at XinYi (this was added in the 2010s). The blue line was extended towards the east and west several times. The Orange Line Y extension came also in the 2010s as well as the east-west part of the green line. While very detailed and convoluted, it might be helpful to show this to understand the progress and balance between inner-city development and reaching out to the suburbs (TTY Airport Express).
One of the cool thing about this metro is its profitability despite very affordable ticket price as it is used extensively especially along the high capacity lines. I feel crippled living in Toronto without a car, yet I don't have an urge to own a car living in Taipei for the past 5 years.
One minor correction on the timeline of the line construction, the red line when first opened actually run only north south form tamsui to xindian, which covers what is now part of the red line and green line, and does not make the turn to run east-west until the completion of xinyi line (the east-west portion of red line) much later
moving to taipei in a week. this video is getting me so excited!
Fantastic video. I've lived in Taipei for many years and it's truly a very efficient and clean system, much different from European systems. I would also humbly suggest a video on the Istanbul metro system. It's currently the city where most metro lines are built simultaneously in the world. And where the famous Marmaray line under the Bosphorus is operating.
Great as usual. I haven't been to Taipei for a few years but do remember the excellent metro system when I was there. I would love to see you do an explained video on a lesser know system. One that comes to mind is Cairo, Egypt. The government has been throwing money into a new road system, one of the longest monorail systems in the world and apparently, I read today, a high speed train system too. Everyone knows London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc have amazing systems, but what about the up and coming ones?
I worked on the Taiwan High Speed Rails civils construction around Hsin Chu, many tunnels and bridges. Started tunneling in London in the 1960s, 7 Years in Egypt on the Suez Road tunnel, Cairo Wastewater and line One of the Metro. Rail tunnels in Denmark and Canada. Sewer and water tunnels in Hing Kong, UK. Finished my career again in London with a short stint on Crossrail. The last contract before retiring was Line one KL Metro Malaysia, though this was my 2nd stint there as I'd worked on the Smart road/water tunnel.
Between tunnel projects also was a road manager for the Small Faces, worked on 2 Bond Films and The Eagle Has Landed film.
12:02 Two driverless train types on the same line?! My mind is blown. That makes Alston and Hitachi driverless trains much less gadgety
2:51 Not gonna lie, the way you pronounce "Xinbeitou" is nearly perfect!
超級標準✅️✅️
Fun fact, Xinbeitou and its southern counterpart Xiaobitan were infamously "hated" for two different reasons. The former runs through a dense residential area and made so much noise people actually threw CRT TVs onto the elevated track from nearby buildings to protest. Since then, the train is shortened to 3 carriages, additional soundproofing was added, and the train has an arbitrary speed limit of 30kph running through it.
The latter is recently hot on debate due to its use of the pocket track in the Cizhang station to reverse into the cramped 2-platform station. This causes the shortened Green service to only stop at Taipower Building, one station short of Gongguan where National Taiwan University resides and has way more bus transfers compared to Taipower Building.
Both of these lines have too few passengers utilizing it too until recently when IKEA opened up in Xiaobitan.
There’s actually a time that Taipei Metro use numbers to sort every line
Now they use colors
2:34 Red Line used the old trail of the TRA Tamsui Branch Line, which was closed in 1988
Now that is a beautiful system
I love how easy it is to get to Rahoe night market by metro. But I think tianmu area could need a metro line
Rotterdam has quite an interesting transit system consisting of a metro, tram and at some point a tram train ish system for the metro. And an abandoned station that'll be used for a future metro expansion. Also a nice feature being one of the lines terminal stations is directly on the beach front
honestly if he covered that area he'd have to cover the Randstadrail too imo
and a coverage area that extends into the Hague but also around the Hague.
@@schtormm yeah
@@schtormm maybe the entire the hague-rotterdam metro (as they cooperate with eachother in transport and other services a lot
Great video! Now I want to go to Taipei and check out this system
Amazing work!
Two suggestions:
NYC Subway (Crazy interlining, extensive express services, formerly three separate operators, many lines used to be main line railroads, 24/7/365 service)
MARTA (Short but sweet system in Atlanta)
I just rewatched your video after visiting. I was pretty blown away by the overall Taipei system, but also the rider experience. Hot take, I think the rider experience was the best I've experienced anywhere, including Tokyo.
However, I also went to some other cities in Taiwan and was blown away at the difference in a city like Taichung. Taichung has one rail line and is SO car centric. Don't know if this is in your wheelhouse or exactly what the video would be, but the disparity seems crazy to me for two cities that are just 1hr apart on the HSR.
Buenos Aires Subte. About 14 years ago, while studying there, the A Line still had wooden subway cars. These were replaced w modern cars in the last 10 years. It opened in 1913, making it the oldest in Latin America and older than any in Spain as well. It has also been steadily expanding. Similar to Eastern European metros, where lines connect, they do so at adjacent and connected stations with different names (odd and annoying). If I remember right, it also runs on the left (another oddity for Latin America). It isn't as big as Sao Paulo, Mexico City's, or Santiago's but, It's a beautiful metro that rarely gets any attention.
Would love to see one for Manchester Metrolink. While it's a tram system, it uses loads of old rail lines, and had an amazing expansion over the past 14 years.
I remember being at the zoo stop on the brown line and seeing station cleaners open up a storm grate and hand scrub inside the drain as the rest of the station was spotless.
That was the moment I gave up on the NYC MTA.
Coming from a Taipei local, I honestly can't believe people would actually piss inside MTA.
@@UrMomIsATitan I have a life long aversion to ALL public elevators.
PTSD of a New Yorker.
The Rotterdam metro network would make a nice explainer. Not only is it the largest network in the Benelux (yes, Amsterdam and Brussels are smaller) with connections as 'far away' as Den Haag (The Hague), but the network also use a mix of 3rd rail and overhead line power supply, and the trains switch modes WHILE DRIVING without any disruption, and don't forget the use of old railway lines. Also a nice mention are the various transit hubs where regional and local bus lines end and people changes to the metro, so the busses don't have to drive all the way to a central hub like Central Station. The last fact I'll mention now is that a part of the network is - together with 3 tram lines in Den Haag - branded as 'RandstadRail' to transit between Rotterdam, Den Haag and Zoetermeer. At a part of the RandstadRail network both subway trains and trams share the tracks and stations have platforms on both heights of the vehicles.
Taiwan is such a cool country for tourists.
Taipei metro made me see the light in regards to public transport
Great video !!! if you're looking for some other cities to cover I think that the swiss cities are a very good example of how mid size (but very global) cities can have some of the best transit systems in the world while not relying on an expansive subway system but having the best streetcar / regional rail systems insted and being connected to each other via a great train system. Zurich is the best example with it's S-Bahn/streetcar system but Geneva just opened a new underground S-Bahn system called Leman express that links the city with it's french suburbs creating a pretty unique world class system (combined with an extensive bus/streetcar/boat network) for a city of 200000 citizen (1.2 million in the urban area covering 2 countries 2 swiss cantons and 2 french departements).
If you need further informations I live in switzerland so don't hesitate to ask !!!
Thanks again for your work
Great video as always. Do Bangkok!
How about Nagoya? In addition to a bunch of subway lines some with through running to private local/regional rail, and local JR lines, it features a guideway bus, a commuter rail line, and a maglev line. (No, not the maglev Chūō Shinkansen, a low-speed local maglev line build to provide access to the site of Expo 2005)
No foreigners get to pronounce Taoyuan correctly XD You’ve done a very impressive job at pronouncing others incredibly accurately.
Interesting way to introduce the line as most of the start was rearranged as the subway expanded.
Hi Reece, i think you should talk about Strasbourg, France. This city has a modest but interesting transit system based on trams and regional trains (TER), over France and Germany. The particularities are multiple like the international side of the system, the deep integration of bycicles, the features leading to help the people coming by car to access the city-center (mostly walkable and frankly terrible for cars). It's surely the opposite of northern american city but on a low budget because of the size of the city. I think it could be an interesting case. (you can ask if you need pictures or precise informations)
sorry for my english
@@novasup666 Your English is fine bud.
as a singaporean train enthu i can confirm the train in 9:43 is c151c and not c151
The east-to-west segments of the red and green lines were constructed much later. Before Dec 2014, the north-to-south segments of both lines operated as one continuous line.
Try covering Kuala Lumpur's metro system
It's a relatively new system, first opened in 1995 and now comprises 2 commuter lines, 6 rapid transit lines, 1 BRT line, 1 Monorail line, & 2 airport lines.
C301 used to sound very authentic, many called it “gearbox sound”. Variable frequency drive on those trains was based on GTO thyristors and made this sound.
C301s have been through an extensive modernization, so no more “gearboxes” on the metro
To me, having visited Taipei in 2012, C301s remind me of the T1 trains in Toronto; the former had near-identical sounds to the T1s in 2012.
Same with the similar C151 rolling stock in Singapore when Toshiba started replacing the motors & propulsion system a few years back, but the contract for that was prematurely cancelled when our government then decided to replace the stock earlier with Bombardier (now Alstom) R151s
Hey, you should really do a video about Metro Bilbao
BTW, love the channel
Your comment about density being too high for elevated track is an interesting one. In some ways, I think elevated track looks LESS of an eyesore in very dense and tall areas, because it doesn't tower over the landscape. I don't think elevated track above the Toronto street you showed would be sensitive to the local architecture, but it works fine in an area with lots of modern tall towers.
13:26 Meanwhile Singapore's new train lines are mostly underground as they mostly serve newer parts of downtown & the more peripheral parts of already existing suburbs that're already built up decades before (as opposed to the their town centres that're already mostly served by older lines), so there isn't a lot of space to build above ground. However I feel Downtown Line Stage 2 could've been built elevated above the Bt Timah Canal instead of tunnelled below to save money, as the canal is quite wide & thus has more space for above ground structures. If the line was built a few years later it'd also have been able to use the at-grade permanent way freed up when neighbouring Malaysia's national rail operator KTM cutback its service from Tg Pagar railway station at the edge of downtown to Woodlands Train Checkpoint at our international border in 2011, instead of having to spend more on tunnelling underground
He does have a point though. The Jingan Station (景安), the southern transfer for Circular and Orange Line, is locally infamous due to the fact that it's built directly on top of an existing 3-storey-tall speedway, making the station unprecedentedly 5 stories tall. Adding to the fact that the southbound Orange Line is 4 stories underground, a transfer between the two services requires a net 9 storey climb or descend down 5 sets of stairs/escalators.
It's certainly a feat but honestly looks dystopian.
@@UrMomIsATitan I second this opinion. The narrow and winding streets are guarded by 60-year old dust layered apartments, and littered with all kinds of neon signs and random cables, which are already an eyesore. There is nothing aesthetically to lose by adding an elevated rails. Toronto is not comparable.
Paris REM pls. They're massive and very well-designed.
one of my favorite metro!
感謝您介紹台北
Ang Ganda ng MRT station nila napakalawak at malinis .❤️
@@SalvacionN.BermilloSalvacion因為車站內禁止飲食及市政府注重大眾運輸，所以才能做到很好
Simple metro system, nothing fancy but highly efficient! Just
Sorry to bug you every time on this but you need to do the CSS&SB...it has all you need for a great video. Interurbans, a line that damn near went extinct due to the government, grass roots movements saving it, and now massive growth and new lines being built. It's the last interurban in North America and is just awesome.
I really enjoy riding on the taipei metro system:)
I wonder if you knew that when the high-capacity train stations have music when trains are approaching the station!
Cross platform line transfer is A LOT of fun... Really... Nothing else in a subway as satisfying as perfectly timed arrival of two lines, passengers all walking briskly across the platform, and all done perfectly and on our merry way.
As for lights on platform to warn of incoming trains. I still remember the time when my fellow countrymen are not that rule abiding, and IIRC the lights are added to encourage them to stay at a safe distance.
I'm glad to say that the lights are no longer useful for that since like 20 years ago. They are more for "get ready to board", as etiquette is pretty good for a while now. The platform doors are sadly for suicide prevention then anything else.
You missed that the red line didn't open as it is now, it used to directly connect with the southern part of Green line before 2014. The green line didn't end at Songshan and the red line doesn't end in Xiangshan either.
Also there's a batch of high capacity trains made by United something (pardon my fuzzy memory) in New York in 1991. You can tell the age of the trains by the noise they make, older=louder.
You can find a plaque on each train with information on who and when each were made.
Union Rail Car Partnership. The train parts were manufactured in Japan by Kawasaki and shipped to New York for assembly, then back to Taiwan for service.
They've been around since the 90's. They're infamous for being extremely loud, energy inefficient and costly to maintain and sadly are being decommissioned. This model is very iconic among local trainspotters due to its very unique engine wind up sound and the fact that it is the only model of all Taipei Metro trains to have pneumatically actuated passenger doors.
Look up Taipei Metro C301 on RUclips for videos of it.
I hope you eventually cover my homecity of Jakarta one day. We are heavily anticipating the huge new LRT network, opening this August, that will help commuters travel from the satellite cities to the heart of Jakarta
Why all the reuploads? What was the problem? Just curious
It's a long story...
I'd like to see more on the Chicago L, like history and stuff. I think I've only seen you cover Chicago once.
Does RM Transit have a video of Seoul Metro? Would really like to see some in depth exploration of that wonderful system.
This is to appease the engagement gods
Just wanted to point out that the brown line is rubber-tyred! I guess regular viewers can deduce that from what you said about VAL but I was very surprised about that when I took it for the first time 😅
I believe I commented on the original one so I will try to do the same lol. The timeline is not really correct since many lines started service with only portions of the current/final route. For example, Brown or Wenhu Line only operated from the center of the city to Muzha area and was called Muzha Line, which brings the 2nd point. People here don't usually refer to these lines by the colors but rather the destinations. But color coded does make it easier for foreign travelers. The original Brown line goes to Muzha so it was named Muzha Line. When the northern portion was completed, the line then became WenHu Line since it now goes to NeiHu District to the north and Muzha area in WenShan Dist. in the south, hence WenHu Line. Another example, initially parts of the Red/Tamsui, Green/Xindian and Orange/Zhonghe Lines operated as one line. Trains runs between either Tamsui and Xindian or Beitou and Nanshijiao for years. They finally split and became separate lines when construction was completed. It's very complicated but probably doesn't matter in an introduction video. ;)
Please make a video on glasgow subway!
The Wenhu line is the most interesting line as it is on wheels
I should note that the C301 cars were built at Kawasaki's factory in Yonkers, NY before being exported to Taiwan.
Suggestion: please cover the Dortmund U-Bahn and Sbahn system
You could make a video on the Riyadh metro. Because it’s a very new system and much of it opened at the same time. And is very different to other systems in the world. I think this could be interesting.
I’ve heard you mentioned you already covered Tokyo, but I can’t seem to find it.
Planning on remaking it!
It would be nice to see one about the Rio de Janeiro transit explained, it's not the best system in the world but it's very diverse, with undergroud, light rail, commuter rail, BRT and lots of others such as MotoTaxis for example. Just an idea
Do istanbul next. Over 10 lines are under construction at the same time
I hope you can explaint about Jakarta, Indonesia Commuterline system. it's very unique ,there are 1000+ ex Japanese EMU such as the Tokyo Metro 6000,7000, Tokyu 8000/8500, and JR East 205.. You also need to cover about the system revolution because it's very awesome😃😃
Very informative vid. Well done.
What would I suggest you cover??? Well, there is the Lille Metro which my parents keep telling me about, but I'd love to learn more about it...
Also, if you need ideas for 01.04.2023 Reece, how about a Railways Explained on the NorthWestern Railway from the Island of Sodor?
You should do Melbourne Victoria 0:30
@RMTransit When will you going to retalk about the Hong Kong MTR line after the new extension line open?
You should cover the Prague Metro system
And add in the need for earthquake mitigation (Taiwan experiences earthquakes like in Japan).
Do Brussels next please they have one of the oldest continues used trams systems in the world
Is there one on Seoul in the pipeline? One of the world's biggest (and still growing!) and best. Worth also mentioning that I think Seoul has the best wayfinding, maps in stations, etc. of any system I've been on.
9:43 why put pic of C151C when the C301 looks more like the C151
Please cover the history and future of of the charleroi metro.
Have you forgotten that Finland has a metro and trams in 2 cities now? They would be interesting to see
Missed opportunity to extend the green line branch to intersect with the light green line