The Red line () is a metro line of Kaohsiung Metro which runs north–south through the city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. At , it is the fourth-longest metro line in Taiwan, after Taoyuan Airport MRT, Tamsui-Xinyi Line and Zhonghe-Xinlu Line.

There is a plan to extend the line north to Hunei District. This would add 8 stations to the line, and also a plan to extend the line south to Donggang. This would add 12 stations to the line.

History

In the “1988 Kaohsiung Metropolitan Metro System Feasibility Study”, the Red line was amongst the four lines planned. In January 1991, it was one of the two lines categorised to open as Phase 1 in period 1. Further progress was halted in March 1995 due to skepticism for the need of it within the city council, citing traffic congestion within the city to be not critical. In June 1998, the Executive board revived the plans under the BOT initiative. Together with the approval from relevant city councils, the metro department began conducting feasibility studies of the Red Line in February 1999. Three months later, priority was given to China Steel Corporation and Siemens on construction contracts. The contracts were finalised in January 2000.

On 24 October 2001, ground works were initiated at the Siaogang station site. The first phase from Siaogang station to Sanduo Shopping District station had its machinery and tunneling works completed in November 2006. Test riders were invited for operational trial for this milestone. By February 2008, most of the construction had been completed. At this stage, a soft opening was launched with free rides in the first phase. The entire line from Siaogang to Ciaotou stations opened on 9 March 2008, and was free to commuters until 7 April the same year.

It opened for service on 9 March 2008 and was free for one month until 6 April.

The new EMUs for the six expanded stations will be manufactured by South Korea's Hyundai Rotem and Singapore's ST Engineering.

Stations

<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: thumb|right|215px|Trial Line of Red Line,KMRT -->

{|class=wikitable

! rowspan="2" |Code

! colspan="2" |Station Name

! rowspan="2" |Section

! rowspan="2" |Transfer

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Location

|-

!English!!|Chinese

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor=

|colspan=7|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RK8</span>||Dahu||

|rowspan=7|Gangshan-Luzhu

|

|rowspan=1|Hunei|| rowspan="7" |Kaohsiung

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RK7</span>||Luzhu||

|

|rowspan=4|Luzhu

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RK6</span>||Luzhu South||

|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RK5</span>||Taiwan Steel University of Science and Technology||

|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RK4</span>||Kaohsiung Science Park||

|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RK3</span>||Benjhou Industrial Park||

|

| rowspan="2" |Gangshan

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RK2</span>||Kangshan <br>Agricultural & Industrial <br>Vocational Senior High School||

|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Gangshan Station||

|

|style="text-align:left"|

| rowspan="2" |Gangshan

| rowspan="25" |Kaohsiung

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Kaohsiung Medical University Gangshan Hospital||

|rowspan=24|Main

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Ciaotou Station||

|style="text-align:left"|

|rowspan=3|Ciaotou

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Ciaotou Sugar Refinery||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Cingpu<br><small>(NKFUST)</small><sup>[[#endnote_A|[A]]]</sup>||<br>()

|style="text-align:left"|<!-- [planned]-->

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Metropolitan Park||

|style="text-align:left"|

|rowspan=5|Nanzih

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Houjing<br><small>(NKMU)</small> <sup>[[#endnote_B|[B]]]</sup>||<br>()

|style="text-align:left"|<!-- [planned]-->

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Nanzih Technology Industrial Park||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Oil Refinery Elementary School||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||World Games/<br>National Sports Complex||／<br>

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Zuoying/THSR||／

|style="text-align:left"| <br> <!--<br> [planned]-->

|rowspan=2|Zuoying

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Ecological District||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Kaohsiung Arena<br><small>(Sanmin Household & <br>Commercial High School)</small>||<br>()

|style="text-align:left"|

|rowspan=2|Zuoying<br>Gushan

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Aozihdi||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Houyi||

|style="text-align:left"|

|rowspan=2|Sanmin

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Kaohsiung Main Station||

|style="text-align:left"| <!--<br> [planned]-->

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Formosa Boulevard||

|style="text-align:left"|

|Sinsing

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Central Park||

|style="text-align:left"|

|Sinsing<br>Lingya

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Sanduo Shopping District||

|style="text-align:left"|<!-- [planned]-->

|Lingya<br>Cianjhen

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Shihjia<br><small>(Labor Park)</small>||<br>()

|style="text-align:left"|

|rowspan=4|Cianjhen

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Kaisyuan||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Cianjhen Senior High School<br><small>(Wujia)</small>||<br>()

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Caoya<br><small>(KRTC)<sup>[[#endnote_C|[C]]]</sup></small>||<br>()

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Kaohsiung International Airport||

|style="text-align:left"| KHH

|rowspan=2|Siaogang

|-style="text-align:center"

|||Siaogang||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RL1</span>||China Steel East Portal||

|

|style="text-align:left"|

|rowspan=3|Siaogang||rowspan=7|Kaohsiung

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RL2</span>||Linhai Industrial Park||

|rowspan=11|

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RL3</span>||Fongbitou||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RL4</span>||Jhongkengmen||

|style="text-align:left"|

|rowspan=4|Linyuan

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RL5</span>||Gangzihpu||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RL6</span>||Linyuan||

|style="text-align:left"|<!-- <span style="color:grey;"></span> [planned]-->

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RL7</span>||Linyuan Industrial Park||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RD1</span>||Wufang||

|style="text-align:left"|

|rowspan=2|Sinyuan||rowspan=5|Pingtung<br>County

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RD2</span>||Wulong||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RD3</span>||Donggang||

|style="text-align:left"|

|rowspan=3|Donggang

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RD4</span>||Dapengwan National Scenic<br>District Management Hall||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor="lightgrey"

|<span style="color:#;">RD5</span>||Dapengwan Bay||

|style="text-align:left"|

|-style="text-align:center" bgcolor=

|colspan=7|

|}

;Notes

  • A^ The full name is National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology.
  • B^ The full name is National Kaohsiung Marine University.
  • C^ The full name is Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation.

Notes and references

Notes

References