The Taipei's Luzhou MRT line is finally up and running. The transportation system became officially available for passengers as of yesterday afternoon, with President Ma Ying-jeou and other government officials taking part in the test ride earlier in the day. The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation says that the new line will bring convenience to up to 180,000 people daily.

Dressed in conductor uniforms, President Ma Ying-jeou, Premier Wu Den-yih, Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-pin, and Taipei County Magistrate Chou Hsi-wei took part in the opening ceremony of the Taipei MRT's Luzhou line on Wednesday morning.

The words "100 kilometers" were written on the gear stick, showing that the Luzhou line extends Taipei's MRT network to 105 kilometers.

Before the ceremony began, trains carrying the four officials departed from either end of the line. Ma and Hau were aboard the train that left Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, while Wu and Chou were aboard the train that left Luzhou Station.

The two trains met at Daqiaotou Station, where the ceremony was held. The Luzhou line has a total of eleven stations and it takes 19 minutes to travel from one end to the other.

Anyone with an EasyCard can ride on the line for free until December 2nd. The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation estimates that the addition of the Luzhou line will bring annual MRT passenger volume up to 500 million.

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