THE first train for Taipei’s metro Circular Line emerged from Hitachi Rail Italy’s Reggio Calabria plant on August 30.

TAIWAN High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) extended its services to the east of the capital on June 30 with the opening of the 9.2km extension from Taipei Railway Station to Nangang, the 12th station on the high-speed line from Kaohsiung.

TAIPEI Rapid Transit Corporation has awarded a contract to Thales to upgrade the fare collection on the city's metro network as the first step towards a national integrated system.

DYNAMIC testing has begun on a new express metro link between Taipei and Taiwan's busiest airport, Taoyuan International, which was used by 35.8 million passengers last year.

THALES has been awarded a €17m contract to supply signalling, telecommunications, and an Operational Control Centre for the Danhai light rail line in New Taipei City.

SIEMENS and Tisséo, the operator of the VAL light metro in Toulouse, are to conduct a three-year study of the adhesion of rubber-tyred metro trains with a view to improving their safety.

TAIPEI celebrated the opening of the 8.5km eastern extension of metro Line 3 from Ximen to Songshan on November 15 with a day of reduced fares and free rides for holders of the city's EasyCard contactless smartcard.

TAIWAN's Bureau of High Speed Rail (BHSR) says construction of a southwest extension of the airport rail link between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TTIA) and Zhongli station will commence this month, while testing is now underway on the primary Taipei Railway Station - TTIA section of the much-maligned 51km project.

THE president of Taiwan Mr Ma Ying-jeou and the mayor of Taipei Mr Hau Lung-bin inaugurated Taipei's MRT Xinyi line on November 24, nearly eight years after the start of construction.

TAIWAN's Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) approved plans on January 7 for the construction of the first phase of a light rail line serving the Danshui district of New Taipei City, paving the way for construction to begin later this year.