Q1
Why Kaohsiung City needs LRT?
Ans:
I. During all these years, the unlimited vehicle development brings some problems to the city, such as air pollution, traffic congestion and environmental deterioration that decrease our life quality, compel us to think over the benefits of developing LRT system, brings back to the clear and unpolluted city, builds up a high quality environment.
II. The inadequate transportation facilities in Kaohsiung Area, as well as theirs poor service quality, for a long time being, has led to the low utility rate. We may come up with to enhance the whole mass transportation system’s network, by cultivating riding transportation system habit, planning loop line LRT derived from the existing looped railway, that runs through some recreation places, such as Commerce and Trade Park, Hamasen, Ai-river, Shou-mountain and Chai-mountain. At the same time, planning shuttle system coordination between HSR, TRA and bus, establishing the integrity of transportation network.
Q2
What is LRT system?
Ans:
LRT is a rail support urban's public transportation system. Runs on road corridors with small curve radius and slope, operates via power supplied by overhead wires. The system is relatively uncomplicated, light load, low cost and flexible, assembled with the un-gated fare collection systems, simple bus stops and one-main-drive vehicles, are the features of LRT. LRT vehicles are multi-articulated, may operate in mass-rapid-to-be quality on exclusive rights-of-way, or operate in high speed on segregated rights-of-way in the suburban.
Q3
What kind of benefits will LRT bring?
Ans:
I. The construction of loop line LRT, will lead the multi-function Business Park (including Kuo Cheng UFO, Taisugar Logistics Park, Uni-President Complex Business Centre and Copperas Shopping Centre development projects) and some other large-scale construction such as TRA Kaohsiung depot and Kaohsiung Station Special Area, may have positive effect to public participants and Kaohsiung harbor extensive development projects.
II. Strengthening industrial development, enabling industrial growth, creating more employments, reducing unemployment.
III. The Red & Orange lines supplement the LRT, will establish the investment effectivness, accelerate the investment, and stimulate economic development.
IV. LRT will construct the whole Kaohsiung area’s public transportation network and shuttle transportation, produces a movement away from private cars to LRT, that may alleviate the growth of roadways traffic, traffic congestion, as well side impacts to urban space and landscaping quality.
Q4
Will the overhead catenary hit the advertisements, destroyed and damaged by taifun that may influence public safety?
Ans:
I. The catenaries are mounted over the middle of roads, 10-15 m away from stores that will not contact with the advertisements.
II. LRT is world wide in operation, the overhead catenary is strong enough to resist taifun. Only the advertisements along the LRT line need to re-order, to prevent wind hitting and damage the overhead lines.
Q5
Will the high concentrated LRT brings traffic congestion at the road intersections?
Ans:
Compared to the traditional railway freight transportation vehicle, which is about 400 m long, with 2-3 minutes passing time, the under planning LRT will operate as 2 car trains, total are 60 m long, the time for passing the road intersection is about 7-8 seconds. However,. Obviously, the influence to the traffic congestion of these two vehicles is in-comparable. The LRT run on roadways, like the common car, controlled by traffic signals, obey the traffic signs, and fit into computerized urban roads traffic signal control system, that reduce road retention. Therefore, may not impact the traffic flow.
Q6
Can the common buses and light rail tracks share the same roadway?
Ans:
In certain cases in the abroad, in downtown area, the light rail vehicles and buses use the same right-of-way (type C right-of-way). Considering the driving habits of Kaohsiung citizen, at the beginning, the type B right-of-way is recommended, the LRT line within a street right-of-way but protected by curbs and fences between crossings to avoid the burst in motor vehicles that cause traffic accidents, exclude the emergency (disaster services, police services, medical services), such as ambulances, police patrol cars or fire fighting trucks. When the driving habits of citizen improve, and to cooperate with the type of land use for the area along LRT lines, change the right-of-way to type C, which will increase the urban development for those areas.
Q7
Will LRT makes noise and air pollutions that disturb the track-side residents?
Ans:
LRT system is a high technology product, is completely free from air pollution. Its noise pollution is pretty low, lower than city’s background noise. The LRT system will use the modern low-floor vehicles, with its low voice emissions and vibrations, to minimize the noise pollution that citizen concern.
Q8
Is there any extension planning for this LRT line?
Ans:
The LRT line is currently planned to cooperate with Red & Orange lines of mass rapid transit to form the crossing inner circle line, that preliminarily construct the model of Kaohsiung public transportation. The continually long-term network plannings are all be in light rail (exclude Gang-Shan and Bing-Dong extension line), that will accomplish the whole transportation network of Kaohsiung Metropolis Area.
Q9
The LRT line passes over Multi-purpose Business Park, what impacts will it make?
Ans:
The LRT line passes over Multi-purpose Business Park, integrates and develops the land use of that area, are undoubtedly benefits to the economic and business improvements. At the same time, to integrate the mass rapid transit system, to compose a large-scale network of railway systems, to provide the convenience transportation channel. The proposed strategy is to gradually develop the existing buses, grounded light rail transit, as well as the underground/elevated light rail transit, that may benefit greatly for the development of whole public transportation system of Kaohsiung Metropolis are.
Q10
Is the loop line LRT runs in one direction? How fast will it operate?
Ans:
For consideration of intersection-passing-time, the loop line LRT is designed to accommodate 2 cars operation and runs in two directions (clockwise and counter-clockwise). The schedule will be compressed to meet the increasing of passenger capacity. As there are some segregated facilities near the railway of suburban areas, LRT will operate at speeds of 60-80 km/h. However, in downtown area (totally no segregation facilities), the operation speeds will drop to 20-30 km/h.