The Brown Line of Taipei Metro to Open at Year-End: Travel Routes and Commuting Benefits You Should Know

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team

 

Taipei Metro’s Brown Line (Songshan Line) is expected to open by the end of the year and will connect with the Xindian Line. It will adopt a split-route operation method for “Songshan to Xindian” and “Tamsui to Shilin.” Together with the currently split-route operating Wenhu Line, Banan Line, and Zhonghe-Xinlu Line — totaling five routes — the main lines are distinguished by colors: brown, red, orange, green, and blue. This not only makes identification easier but also allows travelers to navigate the Greater Taipei Metro network more quickly, affordably, and conveniently.

The Brown Line has a total length of 8.5 kilometers and includes eight underground stations: 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 connect with the Blue Line, Red Line, Orange Line, and Brown Line respectively for transfers. In addition, Beimen Station and Songshan Station can be linked via underground passages to the Airport MRT Taipei Station and Taiwan Railway’s Songshan Station.

 

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-pin stated that after the opening of the Brown Line, the original designed metro network will be restored, which not only aids passenger route recognition but also makes traveling across the metro system faster, cheaper, and more convenient. Benefits include: reduced peak-hour intervals for the Xindian Line and shorter headways for the Xinyi Line and Brown Line; faster travel between various areas and the Songshan/Neihu districts; and savings of NT$5 on fares for certain stations in multiple regions.

 

Additionally, passengers will need fewer transfers. Except for transfers between the Orange Line (Zhonghe-Xinlu Line) and the Brown Line (Wenhu Line), most other routes require just one transfer to reach their destination. In other words, residents of 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 Brown Line opens, the colored main lines of Taipei Metro will cover the following areas: Brown Line (Zoo Station ↔ Nangang Exhibition Center Station), Red Line (Tamsui Station ↔ Shilin 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).

In the future, passengers following color-coded routes will enjoy three major benefits:

 

1. Time Savings:

(1) Shorter Headways:

◎ Xinyi Line — Headways will be reduced from the previous 6 minutes to 3 minutes, saving more waiting time. Passengers transferring at Dongmen Station will also benefit, enjoying quicker and more convenient connections.

◎ Xindian Line — During peak hours, additional trains will shorten headways from the original 6 minutes to approximately 4–5 minutes.

(2) Faster Travel to and from Songshan and Neihu Areas:

◎ Tamsui Area — Travelers going to Songshan and Neihu can transfer earlier at Zhongshan Station instead of having to switch at Taipei Main Station, saving more time.

◎ Banqiao and Tucheng Areas — Travelers heading to Songshan can transfer earlier at Ximen Station, saving time and avoiding crowds at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station.

◎ Xindian Area — Travelers can go directly to areas around Nanjing East Road and Songshan without needing to transfer to buses at Zhongshan Station, saving time.

(3) Visiting 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 buses, saving walking and transit time.

 

2. Cost Savings:

Travel between Xindian, Tamsui, Xinzhuang, and Luzhou to Neihu will save NT$5 at some stations. For example:

◎ 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 Datong Station: Single fare drops from NT$30 to NT$25

 

3. Convenience:

(1) Fewer Transfers:

Except for transfers between the Brown Line (Wenhu Line) and the Orange Line (Zhonghe–Xinlu Line), passengers can reach their destinations across all other lines with at most one transfer. With fewer transfers required, traveling becomes more convenient.

 

2. Independent Routes, Free from Interference:

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

◎ Even if there’s an incident on one line, passengers still have alternative routes to choose from.

 

3. Multiple Transfer Options, Reduced Crowding:

 

◎ After the line opened, new transfer stations were added — Ximen Station (Green and Blue Lines), Zhongshan Station (Green and Red Lines), Songjiang Nanjing Station (Green and Orange Lines), and Nanjing Fuxing Station (Green and Brown Lines) — helping to alleviate congestion at major interchange hubs such as Taipei Main Station, Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, and Zhongxiao Fuxing Station. Before the Songshan Line opened, commuters traveling along Nanjing East-West Road had to transfer to the Brown Line (Wenhu Line) at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station. Now, they can commute via the Songshan Line, easing the crowding at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station.

◎ Passengers traveling north of Taipei City 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 the Xindian Area and Access to the Airport MRT:

The Songshan Line connects with the Xindian Line using a “Xindian ↔ Songshan” configuration. Residents in the Xindian area can travel directly to Ximen, Songshan, and Nanjing East-West Road in Taipei, while also enjoying parallel platform transfers with 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 medium-capacity Brown Line stations, just one transfer is needed.

 

Additionally, the Xindian area will soon have direct access to Beimen Station, allowing for a more convenient and closer transfer to the Airport MRT Line compared to transferring at Taipei Main Station.

 

Although the previous one-seat ride to Taipei City Hospital Station on the Red Line from the Xindian area has changed, passengers can now make a parallel transfer at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station (after getting off, simply walk to the opposite platform on the same level) — still a very convenient option.

 

5. Fixed Departure Platforms at Ximen Station:

Previously, due to the Songshan Line not being completed, trains on the “Ximen ↔ Tai Power Building” route used separate up and down platforms during peak hours, guided by electronic displays at the station. After the line opened, platforms on both upper and lower levels returned to their original design, allowing passengers to choose the correct platform for their destination based on simple and convenient signage — no more need to change floors while waiting.

 

Additionally, residents in Zhonghe and Yonghe who wish to travel to stations north of Taipei City Hospital Station on the Red Line can make a single parallel transfer 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