Touring Kaohsiung by KMRT (Travel In Taiwan)

It's taken a while, but now it's up and running. The Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit system (KMRT), first proposed back in 1987, has been moving people around Taiwan's second-largest city since March.

The Red Line runs from Ciaotou (R23) in Kaohsiung County down through the northern part of Kaohsiung City to Kaohsiung Main Station (R11). From there, it veers southeast to the Sanduo Shopping District (R8) and on to Kaohsiung International Airport (R4) and Siaogang (R3).

The Orange Line, due to start operations by October this year, will link the old harborside neighborhood of Yancheng (O2, also known by its old Japanese name, Hamasen) with the Cultural Center (O7) and Fongshan (O12), the most populous city in Kaohsiung County.

Inevitably, people are going to compare the KMRT with Taipei's MRT. Here are some facts and figures: The Red and Orange lines in Kaohsiung (combined length 42.7 kilometers) will have a total of 37 stations, including one planned but not yet funded. Taipei currently has eight lines, 67 stations, and 76.6 kilometers of track...

The complete article is here. Attractions easy to reach by KMRT include Kaohsiung Hakka Culture Park.