Photos of Kaohsiung Light Rail train released; eight-in-one card reader supports four types of cards

▲ Photos of the first Kaohsiung Light Rail train have been released recently!(Image / Screenshot fromJR Chen's Transportation World Facebook fan pageWith authorization from the page admin, used by 《East News Travel Cloud》)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Kaohsiung Light Rail, currently under active construction, has recently unveiled photos of its first train. In addition to its bright green exterior as shown in earlier design sketches, the mostimpressive feature is the eight-in-one card readerinstalled on the train. Once officially operational, passengers will be able to ride using four types of cards, including EasyCard and iPass.

According tothe Facebook fan page “JR Chen's Transportation World”which published photos of the train on the 18th, the train features a rounded white front wrapped with green lines, while the interior is primarily light gray, with only priority seats in light green.

The multi-card reader installed inside the carriages has also drawn attention. According to information provided by the fan page, the light rail will eventually use an eight-in-one card reader, but during the initial phase of operation, it will mainly support EasyCard, iPass, Taiwan Pass, and Easycard. Detailed fares and payment methods are still pending announcement by Kaohsiung MRT. Additionally, as the Kaohsiung Light Rail system primarily uses iPass as the main card, passengers will need to use an iPass to enjoy various riding discounts.

Each Kaohsiung Light Rail train consists of five carriages and can carry up to 250 passengers. The planned route is a loop network with 36 stations, passing through sections such as Kaisyuan 2nd Road to 4th Road, Sanduo 5th Road, Museum of Fine Arts Road, and Gushan Road. It will also connect with six Kaohsiung MRT stations: Kaisyuan Station, Aozihdi Station, Sizihwan Station, Taiwan Railway’s Science and Technology Museum Station, Gushan Station, and Museum of Fine Arts Station, forming transfer hubs. The first phase will initially open 14 stations, with testing scheduled to begin around November 9. Once the light rail is operational, Kaohsiung will become Taiwan’s first city to have all four types of railway systems (high-speed rail, Taiwan Railways, metro, and light rail).