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104-606: Cijin forms the original core of the Kaohsiung , which was established by the fisherman Hsu Ah-hua ( 徐阿華 ) in the mid-17th century. He realized the attractiveness of the location when he was forced to seek shelter from a typhoon in the Taiwan Strait and returned with settlers from the Hung , Wang , Tsai , Lee , Pai , and Pan families and an idol of the Chinese sea goddess Ma-tsu . This

208-523: A tropical monsoon climate ( Köppen Am ) with monthly mean temperatures between 20 and 29 °C (68 and 84 °F) and relative humidity ranging between 71 and 81%. Kaohsiung's warm climate is very much dictated by its low latitude and its exposure to warm sea temperatures year-round, with the Kuroshio Current passing by the coast of southern Taiwan, and the Central Mountain Range on

312-690: A JR Central design running on both the European and Japanese track systems." Customization was focused on adapting to Taiwan's climate and geography, and the nose shape was optimized for tunnels wider than those in Japan. The maximum service speed of the trains was raised from the 700 Series Shinkansen's 285 to 300 km/h (177 to 186 mph). The 12 cars of a 700T train are grouped in three traction units with three power cars and one trailer each, providing 10.26 MW (13,760 hp) of power; both end cars are trailers to avoid slip on powered bogies . The train

416-467: A design speed of 350 km/h (217 mph), track layout was designed with a minimum curve radius of 6,250 m (20,505 ft), track-centre distance of 4,500 mm (177.2 in), right-of-way width of 18 m (59 ft 1 in), and a maximum gradient of 2.5%, except for 3.5% at one location. All but 3 km (1.9 mi) of track is ballastless , combining slab track of Japanese manufacture on open line sections with switches from

520-468: A discount of about 21% off the full fare of a reserved Standard Seat. Non-registered and registered multi-ride tickets can be purchased at the ticket windows of all THSRC stations. Upon first purchase of a multi-ride ticket, a card deposit fee of NT$ 100 is required (refundable if the card is returned). The registered multi-ride ticket is limited to personal use by the registered cardholder. Since November 2012, an Early Bird discount of 35% has been offered for

624-424: A given time period for a certain number of rides. The card is sold in either registered (name-bearing) or non-registered form. Only adult tickets are available in this format, and cannot be used for rides between Banqiao and Taipei. After purchasing or adding value to a multi-ride card, the card balance is valid for 45 days counted from the day of first use. The ticket is good for 8 rides. The multi-ride card provides

728-567: A growing share of Taiwan's agricultural exports to Japan, and was also a major base for Japan's campaigns in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Extremely ambitious plans for the construction of a massive modern port were drawn up. Toward the end of the war, the Japanese promoted some industrial development at Kaohsiung, establishing an aluminum industry based on the abundant hydroelectric power produced by

832-485: A historical town built during the early 17th century, the Former British Consulate at Takao built during the late 19th century, and various sugar and crop factories built under Japanese rule . Kaohsiung city includes a wide range of different natural attractions due to its large size and geographical variation, as it is bordered by the Central Mountain Range in the northeast and the warm South China Sea to

936-440: A limited number of tickets sold no later than 8 days before the departure date. If the 35% off tickets sell out before the deadline, tickets with a discount of 20% off are offered. If these tickets sell out before the deadline, tickets with a discount of 10% off are offered. If all early bird tickets are sold out, then full fare tickets are offered. THSRC operates additional train services during national holidays. On 29 June 2011,

1040-443: A population of 2,773,533 people, making it the third-largest city after New Taipei and Taichung , and a population density of 939.59 people per square kilometer. Within the city, Fongshan District is the most populated district with a population of 359,519 people, while Sinsing District is the most densely populated district with a population density of 25,820 people per square kilometer. As in most Taiwanese cities or counties,

1144-407: A primary focus of THSRC's infrastructure design was how to respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes and how to ensure safety for all passengers and trains in any emergency situation. THSRC has established a system to respond to natural disasters and unexpected intrusion onto the right-of-way, called DWS (Disaster Warning Systems). This system consists of a network of sensors installed along

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1248-499: A proposal by THSRC to increase the maximum number of train services to 210 per day (compared to the existing 175 per day) passed an environmental impact assessment, increasing the number of possible services on "high-load days". Original estimates predicted a daily ridership of 180,000 after launch, growing to 400,000 by 2036. In view of a 50% drop in airline passengers in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis , forecasts were revised downwards. The final initial ridership estimate

1352-438: A quarter that of buses. In the late 2010s, THSRC began work to purchase additional high speed trains, in light of growing demand. 12 trains would be ordered, at a cost of around NT$ 30 billion. Due to the limited number of Japanese companies who build Shinkansen rolling stock, it took several years for THSRC to agree an acceptable deal. In 2022, it was reported that THSRC was speaking to European train manufacturers instead, as

1456-465: A total of 11 districts. The additional district is Siaogang District , which was annexed from Siaogang Township of Kaohsiung County . The Kaohsiung Incident , where the government suppressed a commemoration of International Human Rights Day , occurred on 10 December 1979. Since then, Kaohsiung gradually grew into a political center of the Pan-Green population of Taiwan, in opposition to Taipei where

1560-466: Is 304 m (997 ft 5 in) long and has a mass of 503  t (554 short tons ) when empty. The trains have a passenger capacity of 989 seats in two classes: 66 seats in 2+2 configuration in the single Business Car and 923 seats in 2+3 configuration in the eleven Standard Cars. The per capita energy consumption of a fully loaded 700T train is 16% of that of private cars and half that of buses; carbon dioxide emissions are 11% of private cars and

1664-634: Is NT$ 24.15 billion. Main landmarks of Kaohsiung city include the 85 Sky Tower , the Ferris wheel of the Kaohsiung Dream Mall , the Kaohsiung Arena and Port of Kaohsiung . The newly developed city is also known for having a large number of shopping streets , organized night markets and newly developed leisure parks such as the Pier-2 Art Center , E-DA Theme Park , Metropolitan Park ,

1768-616: Is classified as a "Gamma −" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network , with some of the most prominent infrastructures in Taiwan. Kaohsiung is of strategic importance to the nation as the city is the main port city of Taiwan; the Port of Kaohsiung is the largest and busiest harbor in Taiwan and more than 67% of the nation's exports and imports container throughput goes through Kaohsiung. Kaohsiung International Airport

1872-530: Is currently inaccessible by the public due to military occupation. A large number of historical sites and monuments were left in the city after the colonization of the Dutch in the 17th century, the Qing dynasty during the 18th and 19th century and the Japanese empire from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century. The city government has protected various sites and monuments from further damage and many have been opened to

1976-469: Is fitted with 4 wheelchair accessible chairs and a disabled-friendly restroom. Passengers can call THSR's Customer Service Hot Line at (Taiwan) 4066-3000 or visit any THSR station ticket window to reserve these seats. By August 2012, implementation of 4G WiMAX on-board trains is expected to provide smooth wireless broadband services, making THSR the first high-speed ground transportation system equipped with this service. In 2012, THSRC rated highly in

2080-688: Is home to many night markets , such as Jin-Zuan Night Market , Liuhe Night Market , Ruifeng Night Market , Zhonghua Street Night Market , and the Kaisyuan Night Market . Other attractions include the Cijin Tianhou Temple , Dome of Light of Kaohsiung MRT's Formosa Boulevard Station , the Kaohsiung Mosque and the Tower of Light of Sanmin District . Traditional "wet" markets have long been

2184-455: Is offered for groups of 11 or more. A group discount cannot be used in combination with other discount offers and does not include non-reserved seats. Passengers eligible for multiple discounts can only choose one discount offer. Since 1 July 2010, a smart card system has provided frequent travelers with multi-ride (eight trips) or periodic tickets. THSR's contact-less smart cards allow the cardholder to travel between specific stations within

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2288-527: Is the second busiest airport in number of passengers in Taiwan. The city is well-connected to other major cities by high speed and conventional rail, as well as several national freeways. It also hosts the Republic of China Navy fleet headquarters and its naval academy . More recent public works such as Pier-2 Art Center , National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts and Kaohsiung Music Center have been aimed at growing

2392-845: The Austronesian language family, live mostly in the mountain indigenous district such as Taoyuan or Namasia . The main indigenous groups in the city include the Bunun , Rukai , Saaroa and the Kanakanavu . As of December 2010, Kaohsiung hosts around 21,000 foreign spouses. Around 12,353 are Mainland Chinese, 4,244 are Vietnamese, around 800 are Japanese and Indonesians, and around 4,000 are other Asians or foreigners from Europe or America. As of April 2013, Kaohsiung hosts 35,074 foreign workers who mainly work as factory workers or foreign maids (not including foreign specialists such as teachers and other professionals). About half of them are Indonesians , with

2496-566: The Double Ten Day holiday, THSRC transported a single-day record of 189,386 passengers. On 5 February 2011, the third day of Chinese New Year ’s celebration, a new record of 190,596 passengers was achieved. The next single-day record was reached on 25 January 2012, also the third day of Chinese New Year's celebration, at 191,989 passengers. The most recent record is 212,000 passengers transported on 1 January 2013. The high-speed trains have successfully out-competed planes: by August 2008, half of

2600-591: The Kaohsiung City Council is Lee Chiao-ju . Most of its residents are employed by the shipping industry. There is a park on the north western shore. There are numerous tourist attractions in Cijin District. The "Cross Harbor Tunnel" ( Chinese : 過港隧道 ) connects Cijin Island at the southern tip of the island to the rest of Kaohsiung on mainland Taiwan. Cijin District is also accessible by two ferry piers,

2704-720: The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts , the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts , and Taroko Park . Natural attractions of the city include Shoushan (Monkey mountain), the Love River , Cijin Island , Sizihwan , the Dapingding Tropical Botanical Garden and Yushan National Park at the northeastern tip of the city. The city also features various historical attractions such as the Old City of Zuoying ,

2808-501: The Sun Moon Lake project in the mountains. The city was heavily bombed by Task Force 38 and FEAF during World War II between 1944 and 1945. After control of Taiwan was handed over from Japan to the government of the Republic of China on 25 October 1945, Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County were established as a provincial city and a county of Taiwan Province respectively on 25 December 1945. The official romanization of

2912-571: The Treaty of Shimonoseki . Administrative control of the city was moved from New Fongshan Castle to the Fongshan Sub-District of Tainan Chō ( 臺南廳 ) . In November 1901, twenty chō were established in total; Hōzan Chō ( 鳳山廳 ) was established nearby. In 1909, Hōzan Chō was abolished, and Takow was merged into Tainan Chō. In 1920, during the tenure of 8th Governor-General Den Kenjirō , districts were abolished in favor of prefectures. Thus

3016-490: The Arts and Kaohsiung Music Center . The main agricultural crops in Kaohsiung are vegetables, fruits and rice with a total arable land of 473 km , which accounts to 16% of the total area of the municipality. Kaohsiung has the highest production of guava , jujube and lychee in Taiwan. The main livestock are chicken, dairy cattle , deer , duck, goose, pigs and sheep. The total annual agricultural income in Kaohsiung

3120-609: The Chunghwa High Speed Rail Consortium (CHSRC). THSRC's bid was based on the high-speed technology platform of Eurotrain , a joint venture between GEC-Alsthom , the main maker of the French TGV , and Siemens , the main maker of the German ICE , while CHSRC's bid was based on Japanese Shinkansen technology supplied by Taiwan Shinkansen Consortium (TSC), a joint venture of Japanese companies. THSRC, which submitted

3224-546: The Cijin Ferry Pier at the northern tip of the island and the Zhongzhou Ferry Pier at the middle of the island. Dongsha Airport and Taiping Island Airport . 22°33′42″N 120°18′25″E  /  22.561674°N 120.306998°E  / 22.561674; 120.306998 Kaohsiung Kaohsiung , officially Kaohsiung City , is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan . It ranges from

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3328-519: The CommonWealth Magazine (天下雜誌) "Golden Service Award survey" (金牌服務大賞), not only far outpacing all rivals in the "long-distance land transport" category, but also taking the top spot in the overall rankings of 300 industries. To improve local public transit connections to THSR stations, the TRA built two new spur lines branching off from West Coast Line . With a few exceptions, the services follow

3432-506: The Dutch or hide out in aboriginal villages to escape authorities in China. In 1684, the Qing dynasty annexed Taiwan and renamed the town Fongshan County ( Chinese : 鳳山縣 ; pinyin : Fèngshān Xiàn ), considering it a part of Taiwan Prefecture . It was first opened as a port during the 1680s and subsequently prospered fairly for generations. In 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan as part of

3536-784: The Executive Yuan in June 1992 and by Taiwan's legislature , the Legislative Yuan , in 1993. In November 1994, Taiwan passed a law regarding the use of private finance in infrastructure projects, which also applied to the up-to-then state-run THSR project. Consequently, in 1995, POHSR was transformed into the Bureau of High Speed Rail (BOHSR), which started to tender THSR as a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme in October 1996. The bidding process pitted Taiwan High Speed Rail Consortium (THSRC) against

3640-478: The National Certification before they can drive the train. In addition, after becoming a certified high-speed train driver, they undergo further on-the-job training at least three times each year in order to guarantee they can drive the train safely. Taiwan frequently faces multiple types of natural disasters, including typhoons , earthquakes , heavy rainfall, floods , and landslides . For this reason,

3744-675: The OCC have been Taiwanese, and since October 2008, all train drivers have been Taiwanese. The OCC's main responsibility is to maintain safe train operations. THSRC has 132 controllers (July 2012), of which about one quarter are female, working 24 hours per day and 365 days per year in the OCC. Requirements for becoming a Chief Controller (主任控制員) include experience in all nine OCC positions, 300-hours of on-the-job training and acquiring qualification. THSRC has 144 drivers (July 2012), of which almost 10% are female. All driver candidates must spend 8 months completing 1,326 hours of professional training and pass

3848-714: The Outstanding Civil Engineering Project Award by the Asian Civil Engineering Coordination Council (ACECC) in Sydney in 2010. In 2011, the Public Construction Commission (公共工程委員會) organized an on-line voting campaign that garnered over 330,000 votes, to select the 100 best infrastructure projects (百大建設) in Taiwan to celebrate the centennial of the Republic ; Taiwan High Speed Rail topped the list. Reflecting

3952-450: The Port of Kaohsiung was completed, equivalent to 16 of Taipei's Daan Forest Parks . The Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau plans to buy 49 hectares of the reclaimed land to establish a solar energy industrial district that would be in the harbor's free trade zone. The gross domestic product (GDP) in nominal terms of Kaohsiung City is estimated to be around US$ 45 billion, and US$ 90 billion for

4056-522: The Richter Scale with an epicenter 17 km (11 mi) from Jiaxian, Kaohsiung that shook southern Taiwan on 4 March 2010 (甲仙地震). One operating train was slightly derailed in Sinshih, Tainan , and six trains were stopped on the track. In spite of the temporary suspension of operations, there was no damage or casualties. All 2,500 affected passengers were evacuated in two hours without injury. Service resumed

4160-436: The aboriginal language. The earliest evidence of human activity in the Kaohsiung area dates back to roughly 4,700–5,200 years ago. Most of the discovered remnants were located in the hills surrounding Kaohsiung Harbor . Artifacts were found at Shoushan , Longquan Temple, Taoziyuan, Zuoying , Houjing, Fudingjin and Fengbitou . The prehistoric Dapenkeng , Niuchouzi , Dahu , and Niaosong civilizations were known to inhabit

4264-592: The air routes between Taipei and the country's western cities had been discontinued, including all connections between cities with THSR stations except for a single daily connection between Taipei and Kaohsiung. Total domestic air traffic was expected to be halved from 2006 to 2008, and actually fell from 8.6 to 4.9 million. In June 2012, officials announced the discontinuation of the last remaining commercial flight between Taipei and Kaohsiung. The share for conventional rail between Taipei and Kaohsiung fell from 9.71% in 2006 to 2.5% in 2008, while high-speed rail became

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4368-847: The amount of water pumped from deep wells by 210,000,000 tonnes (2.1 × 10  kg) by 2021. According to THSR's July 2018 timetable, there are 989 train services per week of operation, with operation times between 05:50 to 24:00 every day. Most southbound trains originate from Nangang station and most northbound trains originate from Zuoying ; however, a few trains operate just between Nangang and Taichung or between Taichung and Zuoying. Southbound trains are designated by odd train numbers, and northbound trains by even train numbers. Each train consists of 1 business car (car 6) and 11 standard cars (including reserved seats and non-reserved seats). Since July 2010, non-reserved seats are available in cars 10 through 12 (some trains available in cars 9 through 12 or available in cars 8 through 12 ). Car 7 of each train

4472-407: The ancient Kaohsiung Harbor was originally a lagoon, with early civilizations functioning primarily as Hunter-gatherer societies. Some agricultural tools have also been discovered, suggesting that some agricultural activity was also present. The pronunciation of Kaohsiung (Takao) in Japanese is similar to Takau (Takau), so the local flavor of Takao was renamed Kaohsiung. The first Chinese records of

4576-510: The bay of Galaw ( Anping, Tainan ), Laydwawan ( Tainan City ), Yaw Harbor ( Cheting, Kaohsiung ), Takau Isle (Kaohsiung City), Little Tamsui ( Donggang, Pingtung ), Siangkeykaw ( Puzi , Chiayi), Gali forest ( Jiali District , Tainan), the village of Sabah ( Tamsui, Taipei ), and Dwabangkang ( Bali, New Taipei City ). Taiwan became a Dutch colony in 1624, after the Dutch East India Company was ejected from Penghu by Ming forces. At

4680-642: The below pattern. As of January 2018, a one-way Taipei–Zuoying trip, a THSR standard car adult ticket is NT$ 1490, and a business car ticket fare is NT$ 1950. The cost of a non-reserved seat is approximately 3% less than the regular price. Business and standard car reserved ticket reservations are available 28 days prior to the date of departure (including the departure day). Senior citizens (Taiwan citizens above 65 years of age), registered disabled persons plus one accompanying passenger (Taiwan citizens only), and children (passengers under 12 years of age) are eligible for concession (half price) tickets. A group discount

4784-734: The bid, in February 2001 it filed for a US$ 800 million damage claim against THSRC at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre . After a lengthy arbitration process, the court ruled in March 2004 that THSRC should pay a compensation for the US$ 32.4 million Eurotrain spent on development and US$ 35.7 million for unjust enrichment. THSRC agreed to pay US$ 65 million (US$ 89 million with interest) to Eurotrain in November 2004. Construction of

4888-415: The city center. It was the largest gas explosion in Taiwan's modern history. The city sits on the southwestern coast of Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait , bordering Tainan City to the northwest, Chiayi and Nantou County to the north, Taitung County to its east and Pingtung County to the south and southeast. The downtown areas are centered on Kaohsiung Harbor with Cijin Island on the other side of

4992-470: The city is one of the sunniest areas in Taiwan. The sea temperature of Kaohsiung Harbor remains above 22 °C (72 °F) year-round, the second highest of Southern Taiwan after Liuqiu Island . According to recent records, the average temperature of the city has risen around 1 degree Celsius over the past three decades, from about 24.2 °C (75.6 °F) in 1983 to around 25.2 °C (77.4 °F) by 2012. As of December 2018, Kaohsiung city has

5096-476: The city was administered as Takao City ( 高雄市 , Takao-shi ) under Takao Prefecture . The Japanese developed Takao, especially the harbor that became the foundation of Kaohsiung to be a port city. Takao was then systematically modernized and connected to the end of North-South Railway . Forming a north–south regional economic corridor from Taipei to Kaohsiung in the 1930s, Japan's Southward Policy set Kaohsiung to become an industrial center. Kaohsiung Harbor

5200-616: The city. The name also remains popular locally in the naming of businesses, associations, and events. The written history of Kaohsiung can be traced back to the early 17th century, through archaeological studies have found signs of human activity in the region from as long as 7,000 years ago. Prior to the 17th century, the region was inhabited by the Makatao people of the Siraya tribe, who settled on what they named Takau Isle (translated to 打狗嶼 by Ming Chinese explorers); "Takau" meaning "bamboo forest" in

5304-568: The coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of 2,952 km (1,140 sq mi). Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million people as of October 2023 and is Taiwan's third most populous city and largest city in southern Taiwan . Founded in the 17th century as a small trading village named Takau (or Takow ), the city has since grown into the political and economic center of southern Taiwan , with key industries such as manufacturing, steel-making , oil refining , freight transport and shipbuilding . It

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5408-451: The cold front. Also, besides the high temperatures occurring during the usual summer months, daytime temperatures of inland districts of the city can often exceed 33 °C (91 °F) from mid-March to late April before the onset of the monsoon season , with clear skies and southwesterly airflows. Average annual rainfall is around 1,885 mm (74.2 in), focused primarily from June to August. At more than 2,210 hours of bright sunshine,

5512-487: The company so it could remain operational and profitable. The government injected NT$ 30 billion as a financial bailout, boosting the government's stake to about 64% from about 37%. The government also extended the rail concession from 35 years to 70 years and terminated the company's build-operate-transfer business model. Taiwan's rapid economic growth during the latter half of the twentieth century led to congestion of highways, conventional rail, and air traffic systems in

5616-506: The depot. THSRC also uses a former 0 Series Shinkansen end car as a structure gauge test car . As the first high speed railway system in Taiwan, THSRC started operation in 2007 with many foreign employees, including French and German train drivers and operation controllers in the Operation Control Center (OCC). At the same time, THSRC also started to train local drivers and controllers. Since May 2008, all controllers working in

5720-408: The equator such as Singapore or Manila . Daily maximum temperature typically exceeds 30 °C (86 °F) during the warmer season (April to November) and 25 °C (77 °F) during the cooler season (December to March), with the exception when cold fronts strike during the winter months, when the daily mean temperature of the city can drop between 10 and 12 °C depending on the strength of

5824-479: The forecast of 240,000 daily passengers for 2008. The system carried its first 100 million passengers by August 2010 and over 200 million passengers had taken the system by December 2012, followed by 400 million by December 2016. THSR, or railways in general, is only located on the main island of Taiwan. Outer islands under the control of the ROC government including Penghu , Kinmen , and Matsu do not have railways. In

5928-416: The general manager in Taiwan from 1993 to 1999, used this newfound understanding of Chinese culture and ways of doing business with Chinese customers to lead its China expansion starting in 1999. As of February 2020, Carrefour has opened 137 hypermarkets and supermarkets in Taiwan. Despite the fierce competition from "Westernized" supermarkets, Taiwan's traditional markets and mom-and-pop stores remain "one of

6032-562: The government of Japan promised soft loans if THSRC switched to TSC. Although Eurotrain promised to match TSC's financial proposal, the Eschede train disaster in combination with TSC offering the newer 700 Series Shinkansen , convinced THSRC to reopen its core system bid, ultimately resulting in TSC selected as the preferred rolling-stock supplier in December 1999. Although Eurotrain eventually conceded in

6136-507: The harbor acting as a natural breakwater . The Love River (Ai River) flows into the harbor through the Old City and downtown. Zuoying Military Harbor lies to the north of Kaohsiung Harbor and the city center. Kaohsiung's natural landmarks include Ape Hill and Mount Banping . Located about a degree south of the Tropic of Cancer , Kaohsiung has a tropical savanna climate ( Köppen Aw ), near to

6240-408: The initial years of operation, THSRC accumulated high debts due to high depreciation charges and interest, largely due to the financial structure set up for the private company. In 2009, THSRC negotiated with the government to change the method of depreciation from depending on concessions on rights to ridership. At the same time, the government also started to help refinance THSRC's loans to assist

6344-660: The largest municipality in Taiwan, Kaohsiung has a number of newly built leisure areas and parks. Notable parks or pavilions in the city include the Central Park , Siaogangshan Skywalk Park , Fo Guang Shan Monastery , the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas , Spring and Autumn Pavilions , the Love Pier , Singuang Ferry Wharf and Kaohsiung Fisherman's Wharf . Notable zoo in the city includes the Kaohsiung City Shousan Zoo . Kaohsiung

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6448-467: The latter include the JNR Class DD14 and JNR Class DD16 diesel-hydraulic locomotives, which were originally used for snowploughing by JR. The two ex-JR locomotives with THSRC are equipped with Shinkansen-style rotary couplers and standard-gauge bogies instead of the original 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) gauge bogies and knuckle couplers and are used for shunting the 700T trainsets within

6552-585: The line by THSRC officially started in March 1999. Tunnels and other major civil engineering works were completed by 2004, along with the first delivery of the 700T trains. Testing and commissioning of the line then took place in 2005 and 2006, with a maximum testing speed of 315 kilometres per hour (196 mph) achieved in October 2005. The railway was opened in 2007, with limited commercial services between Banqiao and Zuoying stations from January 5, with full service from Taipei Station to Kaohsiung from May 2007. Three additional stations located along

6656-441: The line lie outside the cities served; however, a variety of transfer options, such as free shuttle buses, conventional rail, and metros have been constructed to facilitate transport connections. Ridership initially fell short of forecasts, but grew from fewer than 40,000 passengers per day in the first few months of operation to over 129,000 passengers per day in June 2013. Daily passenger traffic reached 130,000 in 2014, well below

6760-492: The line – Miaoli , Changhua and Yunlin – opened in 2015. On 10 September 2019, the Executive Yuan announced that the railway would be expanded to Pingtung . Out of four proposed route options, it was confirmed on 27 September that the expansion would bypass central Kaohsiung, branching from Zuoying east towards western Pingtung City , near Liukuaicuo , with an estimated cost of NT$ 55.4 billion. Although lowest in cost,

6864-665: The lower bid and promised to build the line with zero net cost from the government, was chosen as the preferred bidder in September 1997. The group was renamed and formally established as the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) in May 1998. THSRC and the government signed the BOT agreement on 23 July 1998. However, controversy arose during rolling-stock selection. In May 1999, as THSRC faced difficulties in raising capital,

6968-605: The mainland via tunnel, thus the island is not valid for Offshore Islands Development Act. Cijin Island is 8.5 km (5.3 mi) long with an average width of 400 m (1,300 ft). Two islands and one reef in the South China Sea are administered by Kaohsiung City as part of the districts Zhongxing Village: The district consists of Cisia (Qixia), Yongan, Jhensing (Zhenxing), Ciai, Fuxing, Zhonghua, Shijian, Beishan, Nanshan, Shangzhu, Zhongzhou, Anshun and Jhongsing (Zhongxing) Villages. The councilor for Cijin District in

7072-478: The majority of the population are Han Chinese . The Chinese are divided into 3 subgroups: Hoklo , Hakka , and Waishengren . The Hoklo and Waishengren mostly live in flatland townships and the city centre, while the majority of the Hakka population lives in the suburbs or rural townships of the northeastern hills. The indigenous peoples of Kaohsiung, who belong to various ethnic groups that speak languages belonging to

7176-578: The majority population is Kuomintang supporters. On 25 December 2010, Kaohsiung City merged with Kaohsiung County to form a larger special municipality with administrative centers in Lingya District and Fongshan District . On 31 July 2014, a series of gas explosions occurred in the Cianjhen and Lingya Districts of the city, killing 31 and injuring more than 300. Five roads were destroyed in an area of nearly 20 km (7.7 sq mi) near

7280-501: The metropolitan region. As of 2008 , the GDP per capita in nominal terms was approximately US$ 24,000. Despite early success and heavy governmental investment, the city suffers from the economic North–South divide in Taiwan , which continues to be the center of political debate. There has been public aims to shift the local economy towards tourism and cultural industries , with projects such as Pier-2 Art Center , National Kaohsiung Center for

7384-471: The most common mode of transport at 50% of all trips by 2008. The opening of THSR led to a 10% reduction of traffic on the parallel expressway in 2007. Despite cheaper ticket prices, long-distance bus companies reported that passenger volumes had fallen by 20 to 30 percent by 2008. Construction of the system took more than 2,000 professional engineers from 20 countries and over 20,000 foreign and domestic workers six years to complete. Construction work

7488-447: The most popular retail formats for many Asian families when they purchase daily food items and basic household goods." Taiwan High Speed Rail Taiwan High Speed Rail ( THSR ) is the high-speed railway network in Taiwan , which consists of a single line that runs approximately 350 km (217 mi) along the western coast of the island, from the capital Taipei in

7592-564: The name came to be "Kaohsiung", based on the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin reading of the kanji name. Kaohsiung City then consisted of 10 districts , which were Gushan , Lianya (renamed "Lingya" in 1952), Nanzih , Cianjin , Cianjhen , Cijin , Sanmin , Sinsing , Yancheng , and Zuoying . During this time, Kaohsiung developed rapidly. The port, badly damaged in World War II ,

7696-576: The name evolved via metathesis from the name of the Makatao tribe, who inhabited the area at the time of European and Hoklo settlement. The Makatao is considered by some to be part of the Siraya tribe. During the Dutch colonization of southern Taiwan, the area was known as Tancoia to Europeans for a period of about three decades. In 1662, the Dutch were expelled by the Kingdom of Tungning , founded by Ming loyalists of Koxinga . His son, Zheng Jing , renamed

7800-463: The next day. Such a record was well noted, and provided valuable experience in operational safety to the global railway industry. In April 2010, it was reported that subsidence had been observed during construction on a 6 km (3.7 mi) viaduct section in Yunlin County . The subsidence continued, reaching up to 55 cm (22 in) over seven years. By 2010 subsidence had slowed, which

7904-594: The north to the southern city of Kaohsiung . With construction and operations managed by a private company, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC), which also operates the line, the total cost of the project was NT$ 513.3 billion in 1998. The system's technology is based primarily on Japan's Shinkansen . The railway opened for service on 5 January 2007, with trains running at a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph), currently running from Nangang to Zuoying in as little as 1 hour and 45 minutes, reaching almost 90% of Taiwan's population. Most intermediate stations on

8008-504: The northeast blocking out the cool northeastern winds during the winter. The city, therefore, has a noticeably warmer climate than nearby cities located at similar latitudes such as Hong Kong , Guangzhou as well as various cities further south in northern Vietnam , such as Hanoi . Although the climate is classified as tropical, Kaohsiung has a defined cooler season unlike most other cities in Asia classified with this climate but located closer to

8112-659: The option was met with criticism regarding its economic benefits. The extension to Pingtung was approved by Premier Su Tseng-chang in January 2023, with opening of the extension planned for 2029. The line was extended 9.2 km (5.7 mi) from Taipei to Nangang , opening in July 2016. On 25 October 2019, the Railway Bureau published an assessment report to extend the line further from Taipei to Yilan , cutting travel time to 13 minutes. The 56.4 km (35.0 mi) extension

8216-572: The other half being workers from other Southeast Asian countries, mainly from Vietnam , the Philippines or Thailand . Kaohsiung is a major international port and industrial city in the southwest of Taiwan. As an exporting center, Kaohsiung serves the agricultural interior of southern Taiwan, as well as the mountains of the southeast. Major raw material exports include rice, sugar, bananas, pineapples , peanuts (groundnuts) and citrus fruits . The 2,200 ha (5,400-acre) Linhai Industrial Park , on

8320-534: The price offered by Japanese companies was "unreasonable". In March 2023, it was announced that a joint bid by Hitachi and Toshiba had been awarded the contract. Twelve of the latest generation of Shinkansen train—the N700S Series —would be delivered at a cost of NT$ 28 billion. THSRC uses overhead line inspection trains from Windhoff , Harsco railgrinders , Plasser & Theurer track tampers , and several ex- JR rolling stock to maintain its line. Among

8424-1305: The public since the early 1980s. Notable historical sites include the Cemetery of Zhenghaijun , Fengshan Longshan Temple , Former British Consulate at Takao , Former Dinglinzihbian Police Station , Meinong Cultural and Creative Center , Former Sanhe Bank , and the Kaohsiung Lighthouse , one of the oldest lighthouses of the city. Kaohsiung is home to many museums, including the Chung Li-he Museum , Cijin Shell Museum , Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum , Jiasian Petrified Fossil Museum , Kaohsiung Astronomical Museum , Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Museum , Kaohsiung Harbor Museum , Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts , Kaohsiung Museum of History , Kaohsiung Museum of Labor , Kaohsiung Vision Museum , Meinong Hakka Culture Museum , National Science and Technology Museum , Republic of China Air Force Museum , Soya-Mixed Meat Museum , Taiwan Pineapple Museum , Taiwan Sugar Museum , Takao Railway Museum , Xiaolin Pingpu Cultural Museum and YM Museum of Marine Exploration Kaohsiung . As

8528-598: The rail route to detect unexpected situations such as earthquakes, strong winds, heavy rainfall, floods, landslides, and intrusions. In case of an unexpected situation, the DWS will send signals to the OCC (Operation Control Center) immediately; it will also activate contingency measures to ensure the safety of the passengers and trains, including decelerating or stopping trains in the affected area. The DWS has functioned successfully since its initial operation in 2007. The most powerful earthquake that THSRC has experienced measured 6.4 on

8632-432: The region were written in 1603 by Chen Di , a member of Ming admiral Shen You-rong's expedition to rid the waters around Taiwan and Penghu of pirates. In his report on the "Eastern Barbarian Lands" (Dong Fan Ji), Chen Di referred to a Ta-kau Isle: It is unknown when the barbarians ( Taiwanese aborigines ) arose on this island in the ocean beyond Penghu , but they are present at Keeong Harbor (nowaday's Budai, Chiayi ),

8736-457: The region. Studies of the prehistoric ruins at Longquan Temple have shown that that civilization occurred at roughly the same times as the beginnings of the aboriginal Makatao civilization, suggesting a possible origin for the latter. Unlike some other archaeological sites in the area, the Longquan Temple ruins are relatively well preserved. Prehistoric artifacts discovered have suggested that

8840-462: The source of meat, fish, and produce for many residents. With the arrival of Western-style supermarkets in the 1980s and 1990s, such markets have encountered fierce competition. In 1989, the global leader in hypermarkets, Carrefour , entered Asia, opening its first store in Kaohsiung. Due to the success of its Taiwan operation, the French retailer expanded throughout the country and Asia. Jean-Luc Chéreau,

8944-438: The time, Takau was already one of the most important fishing ports in southern Taiwan. The Dutch named the place Tankoya , and the harbor Tancoia . The Dutch missionary François Valentijn named Takau Mountain "Ape Berg", a name that would find its way onto European navigational charts well into the 18th century. Tankoia was located north of Ape's Hill and a few hours south from Tayouan (modern-day Anping, Tainan ) by sail. At

9048-481: The time, a wide shallow bay existed there, sufficient for small vessels. However, constant silting changed the coastline. During this time, Taiwan was divided into five administrative districts, with Takau belonging to the southernmost district. In 1630, the first large scale immigration of Han Chinese to Taiwan began due to famine in Fujian , with merchants and traders from China seeking to purchase hunting licenses from

9152-429: The tourism and cultural industries of the city. Hoklo immigrants to the area during the 16th and 17th centuries called the region Takau (Chinese: 打狗 ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Táⁿ-káu ). The surface meaning of the associated Chinese characters was "beat the dog". According to one theory, the name Takau originates from the aboriginal Siraya language and translates as "bamboo forest". According to another theory,

9256-505: The village Banlian-chiu (Chinese: 萬年州 ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bān-liân-chiu ; lit. 'ten-thousand-year state ( zhou )') in 1664. The name of "Takau" was restored in the late 1670s, when the town expanded drastically with immigrants from mainland China and was kept through Taiwan's cession to the Japanese Empire in 1895. In his 1903 general history of Taiwan, US Consul to Formosa James W. Davidson relates that "Takow"

9360-542: The waterfront, was completed in the mid-1970s and includes a steel mill , shipyard , petrochemical complex, and other industries. The city has an oil refinery , aluminum and cement works, fertilizer factories, sugar refineries, brick and tile works, canning factories, salt-manufacturing factories, and papermaking plants. Designated an export-processing zone in the late 1970s, Kaohsiung also attracted foreign investment to process locally purchased raw materials for export. In 2020, Kaohsiung's land reclamation project in

9464-498: The west and southwest. The year-round warm climate allows coral reefs to grow along the coasts around Kaohsiung Harbor , with Shoushan Mountain being a small mountain completely made up of coral reefs and calcium carbonate , while the mountainous districts in the northeast include Taiwan's highest mountain, Yushan . Other notable natural attractions include the Mount Banping , Lotus Pond , and Dongsha Atoll National Park , which

9568-451: The western transport corridor, which threatened to impede the region's development. The idea of a new high-speed rail line arose in the 1970s, and informal planning began in 1980. In 1987, the executive branch of Taiwan's government, the Executive Yuan , instructed the Ministry of Transportation to launch a feasibility study for a high-speed rail line in the western Taiwan corridor, which

9672-476: Was 140,000 passengers per day. Actual initial ridership did not match these projections. In September 2007, six months after opening, THSRC carried 1.5 million passengers monthly, translating to about 50,000 passengers daily. In the second year, passenger numbers almost doubled. In the third year, average daily ridership continued to grow to 88,000 passengers per day, jumping to over 120,000 passengers per day in 2012. (updated to September 2012) Seat occupancy

9776-554: Was already a well-known name in English. In 1920, the name was changed to Takao ( Japanese : 高雄 , after Takao (Kyoto)  [ ja ] , a place in Ukyō Ward, Kyoto ) and administered the area under Takao Prefecture . While the new name had quite a different surface meaning, its pronunciation in Japanese sounded more or less the same as the old name spoken in Hokkien . After Taiwan

9880-485: Was also developed starting from 1894. The city center was relocated several times during the period due to the government's development strategy. Development was initially centered on Ki-au ( Chinese : 旗後 ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī : Kî-āu ) region but the government began laying railways, upgrading the harbor, and passing new urban plans. New industries such as refinery, machinery, shipbuilding and cementing were also introduced. Before and during World War II it handled

9984-528: Was approved in October 2020, and is planned to open by 2030. Taiwan High Speed Rail started operation with 30 THSR 700T trainsets supplied by a consortium led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries . In response to increasing ridership and new stations that would begin operation in 2015, THSRC signed the contract for four new 700T trainsets with the Kawasaki consortium in May 2012 in Tokyo, Japan. The first (TR 31) trainset

10088-406: Was around 45% in the first three years, with a modest improvement achieved in 2009, and reached 53.91% in 2012. (updated to September 2012) Punctuality is stable above 99%. The 10-millionth passenger was carried after 265 days of operation on 26 September 2007, while the 100-millionth passenger was carried after 1,307 days on 3 August 2010, and 200-millionth by December 2012. On 10 October 2011,

10192-499: Was ascribed to the closure of some deep groundwater wells operating in the region. Although the situation was deemed safe with differential settlement between adjacent piers along the viaduct at only a sixth of the permissible level, the BOHSR urged the closure of more wells. On 25 July 2011, the government announced plans to close almost 1,000 wells in Changhua and Yunlin counties, reducing

10296-405: Was broken into several specialized lots that were contracted separately. One group of contracts was for civil works, covering the construction of the superstructure of open line sections. Stations and depots were the subject of separate groups of construction contracts. A fourth group of contracts was for track work. The Taiwan North-South High Speed Rail Project was awarded the first prize for

10400-632: Was ceded to the Republic of China, the Chinese characters did not change, but adapted to Mandarin pronunciation, thus the official romanization became Kaohsiung ( pinyin : Gāoxióng ; Wade–Giles : Kao¹-hsiung² ), derived from the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation for 高雄 . The name Takau remains the official name of the city in Austronesian languages of Taiwan such as Rukai , although these are not widely spoken in

10504-518: Was completed in 1990. The study found that in a comparison of potential solutions to traffic problems in the corridor, a high-speed rail line would offer the highest transit volume, lowest land use, highest energy savings, and least pollution. In July 1990 the Preparation Office of High Speed Rail (POHSR) was established and a route was selected in 1991. Plans for the THSR were subsequently approved by

10608-408: Was delivered to Taiwan on 23 December 2012; the second (TR 32) on 21 January 2013; the third (TR33) on 25 January 2014; the fourth (TR34) on 12 August 2015. The THSR 700T trainset is based on the 700 Series Shinkansen trainset used by JR Central and JR West in Japan. This marked the first time Shinkansen technology was exported to a foreign country, and it involved "rolling stock derived from

10712-460: Was housed in a bamboo and thatch structure that formed the first Cijin Tianhou Temple . The town grew up around the temple grounds. HMS Reynard was wrecked near Pratas Island on May 31, 1851. Cijin Island was once connected to the mainland at the southern tip, but in 1967, this link was severed to create a second entry point to the Port of Kaohsiung . Currently Cijin Island is connect to

10816-403: Was restored. It also became a fishing port for boats sailing to Filipino and Indonesian waters. Largely because of its climate, Kaohsiung overtook Keelung as Taiwan's major port. Kaohsiung also surpassed Tainan to become the second largest city of Taiwan in the late 1970s and Kaohsiung City was upgraded from a provincial city to special municipality on 1 July 1979, by the Executive Yuan with

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