APM as a Medium-Capacity Transit System: Taipei's Experience

The $920 million, 10.5-km (6.6-mile), 12-station APM system, which opened on March 28, 1996 in Taipei, Taiwan, is part of an ambitious $17.4 billion Taipei Rapid Transit Systems. The fully automated, driverless, rubber tire on concrete track system is based on the French VAL system design, with a maximum capacity of 30,000 passengers per hour per direction. It is intended to serve as the only medium-capacity transit system in the otherwise heavy rail dominated Taipei Rapid Transit Systems. The current peak-hour ridership is about 11,000 passengers, well short of the 27,340 passengers that were originally forecasted to use this APM system. The lessons learned from Taipei's experience are as follows: (1) high level of service comes with a price as the cost for automation is expensive; (2) proprietary technology of automated control systems and vehicles is not recommended; and (3) negative publicities generated in Taipei will adversely affect future application of APM as a medium-capacity transit system.