The opening of the Brown Line (Songshan Line) at the end of the year: Route details and travel perks revealed

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team

 

Taipei Metro’s Songshan Line is expected to open by the end of the year and will connect with the Xindian Line. It will operate in a split-route fashion as “Songshan to Xindian” and “Tamsui to Xiangshan.” Together with the currently split-route operating Wenhu Line, Banan Line, and Zhonghe-Xinlu Line, a total of five routes will be in service. The main lines are distinguished by the colors brown, red, orange, green, and blue, making them easy to identify. Traveling across Taipei’s metro network will become more time-saving, cost-efficient, and convenient.

The Songshan Line has a total length of 8.5 kilometers and features eight underground stations, including Ximen Station, Beimen Station, Zhongshan Station, Songjiang Nanjing Station, Nanjing Fuxing Station, Taipei Arena Station, Nanjing Sanmin Station, and Songshan Station. The entire journey takes about 15 minutes. Except for Taipei Arena Station and Nanjing Sanmin Station, Ximen, Zhongshan, Songjiang Nanjing, and Nanjing Fuxing Stations offer transfers with the Blue, Red, Orange, and Brown Lines respectively. Additionally, Beimen Station and Songshan Station can be connected via underground passages to the Taipei Main Station of the Airport MRT and the TRA Songshan Station.

 

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-pin stated that after the Songshan Line opens, the return to the originally designed metro network will not only help passengers better recognize their routes but also make traveling across the metro system more time-saving, cost-efficient, and convenient. Benefits include: shorter intervals during peak hours on the Xindian Line and between the Xinyi Line and Songshan Line; faster travel to and from the Songshan and Neihu areas; and savings of NT$5 on fares for certain stations in multiple districts.

 

In addition, passengers will need fewer transfers. Aside from transfers between the Orange Line (Zhonghe-Xinlu Line) and the Brown Line (Wenhu Line), most other routes require just one transfer to reach destinations across lines. This means that residents in the Taipei area (excluding branch lines) can reach Taipei Main Station, Taipei City Hall, and New Taipei City Hall with a maximum of one transfer.

 

After the Songshan Line opens, the color-coded main lines of Taipei Metro will cover the following areas: Brown Line (Zoo Station ↔ Nangang Exhibition Center Station), Red Line (Tamsui Station ↔ Xiangshan Station), Orange Line (Nanshihjiao Station ↔ Huilong Station and Nanshihjiao Station ↔ Luzhou Station), Green Line (Xindian Station ↔ Songshan Station), and Blue Line (Nangang Exhibition Center Station ↔ Yongning Station).

Future passengers following the route colors will enjoy three major benefits:

 

1. Time-saving:

a. Shorter intervals:

◎ Xinyi Line — Interval reduced from 6 minutes to 3 minutes, saving more waiting time; passengers transferring at Dongmen Station will also benefit by enjoying quicker and more convenient connections.

◎ Xindian Line — During peak hours, additional services will shorten intervals from 6 minutes to approximately 4–5 minutes.

b. Faster travel to and from the Songshan and Neihu areas:

◎ Tamsui area — Travelers can transfer earlier at Zhongshan Station to reach the Songshan and Neihu areas without needing to switch trains at Taipei Main Station, saving more time.

◎ Banqiao and Tucheng areas — Travelers can transfer earlier at Ximen Station to reach the Songshan area, saving time and avoiding the crowds at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station.

◎ Xindian area — Travelers can go directly from Nanjing East Road to the Songshan area without having to transfer to a bus at Zhongshan Station, saving more time.

c. Going to Taipei Arena for performances or games, or commuting along Nanjing East-West Road, no longer requires getting off at Nanjing Fuxing Station or transferring to a bus, saving walking and transit time.

 

2. Money-saving:

Travel between Xindian, Tamsui, Xinzhuang, and Luzhou to Neihu will save NT$5 at certain stations, such as:

◎ Xindian District Office Station to Neihu Station: Single fare drops from NT$55 to NT$50

◎ Jingmei Station to Xihu Station: Single fare drops from NT$45 to NT$40

◎ Tamsui Station to Jiannan Road Station: Single fare drops from NT$65 to NT$60

◎ Huilong Station to Songshan Airport Station: Single fare drops from NT$50 to NT$45

◎ Luzhou Station to Zhongshan Junior High School Station: Single fare drops from NT$35 to NT$30

◎ Taipei Main Station to Dazhi Station: Single fare drops from NT$30 to NT$25

 

3. Convenience:

a. Fewer transfers:

Except for transfers between the Brown Line (Wenhu Line) and the Orange Line (Zhonghe-Xinlu Line), passengers can reach their destinations across different lines with at most one transfer, reducing transfer times and making travel more convenient.

 

2. Independent Routes, Free from Interference:

◎ Routes are color-coded, and each line has designated platforms for waiting, so passengers don’t need to worry about boarding the wrong train.

◎ Even if an issue occurs on one line, passengers still have alternative routes available.

 

3. Multiple Transfer Options, Reduced Crowding:

 

◎ After the new line opens, additional transfer stations have been added—Ximen Station (Green Line & Blue Line), Zhongshan Station (Green Line & Red Line), Songjiang Nanjing Station (Green Line & Orange Line), and Nanjing Fuxing Station (Green Line & Brown Line)—helping to ease congestion at major interchange hubs like Taipei Main Station, Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, and Zhongxiao Fuxing Station. Before the Songshan Line opened, commuters traveling along the Nanjing East-West Road had to transfer to the Brown Line (Wenhu Line) at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station. Now, they can use the Songshan Line for their commute, relieving crowding at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station.

◎ Passengers traveling north of Taipei Medical University Hospital Station on the Orange Line (Zhonghe-Xinlu Line) only need to transfer once at Dongmen Station, effectively reducing crowding at Guting Station.

 

4. Easy Transfers in Xindian Area and Access to Airport MRT:

The Songshan Line connects with the Xindian Line using the “Xindian ↔ Songshan” alignment, allowing residents in the Xindian area to go directly to Ximen, Songshan, and Nanjing East-West Road in Taipei, while also providing parallel platform transfers to all high-capacity lines—including the Orange Line at Guting Station, the Red Line at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station, and the Blue Line at Ximen Station. For those heading to the medium-capacity Brown Line stations, just one transfer is needed.

 

Additionally, in the future, the Xindian area will have direct access to Beimen Station, allowing for seamless transfers to the Airport MRT Line. This connection is closer and more convenient than transferring at Taipei Main Station.

 

While the previous model of a one-seat ride from the Xindian area to north of Taipei Medical University Hospital Station on the Red Line has changed, passengers can now easily transfer at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station (by simply walking to the opposite platform on the same level) after getting off—still a very convenient option.

 

5. Fixed Departure Platforms at Ximen Station:

Previously, since the Songshan Line was not yet completed, trains on the “Ximen ↔ Tai Power Building” route used alternating platforms during peak hours, guided by electronic information displays at the station. After the opening, platforms on both upper and lower levels will return to their original design, allowing passengers to choose platforms based on their destination—making the process simpler and more convenient without needing to switch floors to wait for trains.

 

In addition, residents in the Zhonghe and Yonghe areas heading to north of Taipei Medical University Hospital Station on the Red Line can transfer once via parallel platforms at Dongmen Station. This transfer method is already widely used by many passengers and is familiar to local residents.

 

 

www.mook.com.tw/article.php?op=articleinfo&articleid=9303