View source for Xinbeitou branch line

{{Short description|Metro line in Taipei, Taiwan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name            = Xinbeitou branch line
| color           = {{rcr|Taipei Metro|Xinbeitou}}
| mapcolor        = [[Shades of red#Light red|Light red]]
| logo            = Taipei Metro Line Xinbeitou Branch.svg
| logo_width      = 38px
| image           = A Taipei Metro C371 train leaving Beitou Station toward Xinbeitou Station (cropped).jpg
| caption         = A C371 train in the special livery (399) leaving Beitou. This train has been operating the line since 2009.
| type            = [[Rapid transit]]
| locale          = [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]]
| start           = {{stl|Taipei Metro|Beitou}}
| end             = {{stl|Taipei Metro|Xinbeitou}}
| stations        = 2
| open            = {{start date|1997|3|28|df=y}}
| operator        = [[Taipei Metro|Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation]]
| character       = Elevated
| depot           = Beitou
| stock           = [[Taipei Metro C371|C371]] (3-car)
| linelength      = {{convert|1.2|km|mi|1|abbr=on}}
| tracks          = 2
| gauge           = {{track gauge|sg|allk=on}}
| speed           = {{convert|25|km/h|abbr=on}}
| electrification = {{750 V DC|conductor=y}}
| map             = {{Xinbeitou Branch Line (Taipei Metro) RDT|inline=yes}}
}}
{{Chinese|t=新北投支線|s=新北投支线|p=Xīnběitóu Zhīxiàn|tp=Sinběitóu Jhihsiàn|w=Hsin<sup>1</sup>-pei<sup>3</sup>-t'ou<sup>2</sup> Chih<sup>1</sup>-hsien<sup>4</sup>|poj=Sin-pak-tâu Chi-soàⁿ|bpmf=ㄒㄧㄣ ㄅㄟˇ ㄊㄡˊ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄢˋ|phfs=Sîn-pet-thèu Kî-sien}}
The [[Taipei Metro]] '''Xinbeitou branch line''' (formerly transliterated as '''Hsin Peitou branch line''' until 2003) is an elevated, light rail branch line of the [[Tamsui–Xinyi line]]. It first opened for service on 28 March 1997. The line is {{convert|1.2|km|mi|abbr=on}} long and consists of two stations.

== History ==
=== Heavy rail line ===
The Xinbeitou branch line traces back to a [[heavy rail]] line built by the [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japan's rule over Taiwan]]. A spur from the pre-metro [[Tamsui–Xinyi line|Tamsui line]], the line's name was transliterated as the "'''Shinhokutō Line'''" in Japanese and "'''Hsin Peitou Line'''" in Chinese. Completed on 1 April 1916, the line was built specifically to transport visitors from the city to the newly-developed ''[[onsen]]'' facilities around Xinbeitou. The line was closed at the end of 1944 during World War II. After a change in power to the [[Kuomintang]], the Xinbeitou branch line was reopened to passengers in 1946.<ref>{{cite book |author1=李東明 |title=永遠北淡線 |publisher=玉山社 |date=2000 |location=Taipei |isbn=9578246323 |pages=142–147 |language=zh |chapter=新北投 — 台北的溫柔鄉}}</ref><ref name="cdn_chen">{{cite news |author1=陳念慈 |title=臺灣縱貫鐵路 迷你幹線－新北投線 |agency=[[Central Daily News]] |date=30 December 1986 |language=zh}}</ref>

The line was served by single-car DR2100–DR2400 series diesel carriages that made round trips between Beitou and Xinbeitou stations. As Taipei's population grew, the branch transitioned from a touristic line to a commuter line, and was heavily used before its closure in 1988 for the reconstruction of the Beitou line into a rapid transit line ([[Tamsui–Xinyi line]]). Before the line's closure, the line was served by twenty-nine round trip services per day; each trip took around 90 seconds and cost {{currency|8|TWD}}. The daily ridership was around 22,000 passengers.<ref name="cdn_chen"/><ref>{{cite news |title=新北投線最後列車除夕開出 明年元旦起不再奔馳 多位議員禹延期停駛 |agency=[[Central Daily News]] |date=28 December 1987 |location=Taipei |language=zh}}</ref>

=== Metro line ===
Originally, the Xinbeitou branch line was to close permanently after the Tamsui line was converted into a rapid transit line. Xinbeitou residents successfully petitioned to the government for a branch line, arguing that it was an important transportation link for commuters.<ref>{{cite news |title=捷運系統新北投支線 居民反對撤銷 |agency=[[Central Daily News]] |date=14 August 1987 |language=zh}}</ref> The branch line's [[groundbreaking]] ceremony was held on 30 December 1988,<ref>{{cite news |title=捷運新北投線動土 訂民國八十年完工 |agency=[[Central Daily News]] |date=31 December 1988 |location=Taipei |language=zh}}</ref> and on 28 March 1997, the new rapid transit line re-opened for service as part of the Taipei Metro.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} According to the original design, trains leaving downtown Taipei would terminate at either Xinbeitou or {{stl|Taipei Metro|Tamsui}} station. Before the line's opening, Taipei Metro decided against this plan due to insufficient rolling stock.<ref>{{cite news |author1=顏瓊真 |title=電聯列車不足 到新北投需換接駁車 捷運淡水線一車到底行不通 |agency=[[Central Daily News]] |date=24 November 1996 |language=zh-tw}}</ref>

=== Noise complaints ===
Since the line's opening, residents along the line have complained about [[Rail squeal|noise from the trains]] due to the sharp curvature of the tracks and its close distance to apartment buildings on the sides. [[Rail grinding]] and the installation of [[noise barrier]]s did not alleviate the noise by much.<ref>{{cite news |author1=孫惠琪 |title=新北投支線消音 捷局施工改善 解決沿線噪音問題 進行第三階段軌道研磨作業 |agency=[[Central Daily News]] |date=19 November 1997 |location=Taipei |language=zh-tw}}</ref> Shortly after opening, the train's frequency was reduced, the operating hours were shortened to 7&nbsp;am and 9&nbsp;pm, and the number of cars on each train was reduced from six to three.<ref name="trts">{{cite web |title=Starting September 14, the Xinbeitou Branch Line Will Resume Normal Operational Mode with 3-Carriage Train |url=http://www.trtc.com.tw/e/shownews1.asp?id=1430 |website=Taipei Metro |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009164816/http://www.trtc.com.tw:80/e/shownews1.asp?id=1430 |archive-date=9 October 2008 |date=12 September 2007}}</ref>

On 14 September 2007, Taipei Metro extended its operating hours to between 6&nbsp;am and midnight.<ref name="trts"/> It was hoped that if the noise standards were deemed to be at an acceptable level that the current [[Zhonghe–Xinlu line|Orange line]] trains on the [[Tamsui–Xinyi line|Red line]] could operate on the Xinbeitou Line instead.<ref name="liberty-b">[http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2007/new/jul/14/today-taipei2.htm 新北投支線 八月增班正常營運] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517132727/http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2007/new/jul/14/today-taipei2.htm |date=17 May 2011 }}, [[The Liberty Times]], 14 July 2007</ref> Trains operate at a maximum headway of one per 7–8 minutes during peak hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.trtc.com.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1056506&ctNode=27495&mp=122032|title=Xinbeitou Branch Line|publisher=Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation|date=23 December 2009|access-date=16 December 2010|archive-date=2 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302235437/http://english.trtc.com.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1056506&ctNode=27495&mp=122032|url-status=dead}}</ref>

It has been reported that the line is operating at a loss.<ref name="loss">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100309205416/http://www.xianqiao.net:8080/gb/7/7/13/n1772112.htm 捷运新北投支线　不惜赔钱服务市民], 中广新闻, 13 July 2007</ref> A proposal was put forth in 2005 that a low-speed [[maglev train]] similar to the [[Linimo]] in Japan would solve the problem of noise pollution,<ref name="maglev">[http://www.chinanews.com.cn/news/2005/2005-07-21/26/601993.shtml 台北拟引进日本磁浮电车 最快2007年可亮相], [[China News Service]], 21 July 2005</ref> but its feasibility on operating costs became a subject of ridicule.

In July 2019, the soundproofing walls on the line were updated as part of newly-introduced through-operations to central Taipei.

== Rolling stock ==
{{Multiple image|perrow=1|width=220|image1=Taipei MRT Train C301 3CarSet No 3014.JPG|caption1=3-car C301 trains, which operated on the line until 2007.|image2=Taipei MRT Train C371 3CarSet No 3398.JPG|caption2=3-car C371 trains, which have operated on the line since 2007.}}
A modified [[Taipei Metro C301|C301]] (trainset 013/014) originally operated on the line in a 3-car formation, making it unique on the system. From 2007 onwards, the train was replaced by a purpose-built C371 of a similar length.

== Stations ==
{| class="wikitable"
!rowspan=2|Code!!colspan=2|Station Name
! rowspan="2" |Transfer!! rowspan="2" |District
|-style="text-align:center;"
!English!!Chinese
|-bgcolor=#{{rcr|Taipei Metro|Xinbeitou}}
| colspan="6" |
|-style="text-align:center;"
|<span style="color:#{{rcr|Taipei Metro|Xinbeitou}};">R22A</span>||{{stl|Taipei Metro|Xinbeitou}}||{{lang|zh-tw|新北投}}
|
| rowspan="2" |[[Beitou District|Beitou]],
[[Taipei]]
|-style="text-align:center;"
|<span style="color:#{{rcr|Taipei Metro|Xinbeitou}};">R22</span>||{{stl|Taipei Metro|Beitou}}||{{lang|zh-tw|北投}}
| style="text-align:left;"|{{rint|taipei|R}}
|-bgcolor=#{{rcr|Taipei Metro|Xinbeitou}}
| colspan="6" |
|}

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Tamsui–Xinyi line navbox}}
{{Taipei Metro lines navbox}}
{{Taiwan rapid transit}}
{{Taiwan Railways Administration}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xinbeitou Branch Line (Taipei Metro)}}
[[Category:Taipei Metro lines]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1997]]