Due to the poor service and inefficiency of public transportation in SSD, number of public transportation passengers has been low. MRT may increase the use of public transportation in the future. Yet, how to make riding public transportation a habit is the main concern of city government when it comes to planning future construction in public transportation. In the following section, we will discuss how to improve the public transportation in SSD by building the Kaohsiung Light Rail.

Project of the Kaohsiung Light Rail

Obviously, the combination of the MRT and the Kaohsiung City Bus is not good enough to encourage people to ride the public transportation to go to SSD. The current system and network need more improvement and supplement to persuade the public to give up on cars and scooters. 

Therefore, the city government is planning to build the Kaohsiung Light Rail by renovating the old harbor side rail and building new ones connecting to the MRT. The goal of building KLR is to consolidate the whole public transportation network and enhance the overall quality. The KLR will also help reduce air and noise pollution as well as traffic jams. It will also cut short the waiting time for connection between different public transportation systems. Moreover, it will help increase the use of land, upgrade the industry and bring in more business and investment. 

SSD is currently the center of trade and business in Kaohsiung. Improvement on public transportation has been the priority in the urban planning by the Kaohsiung city government. After consulting the successful cases of urban development in other countries, the Kaohsiung city government has a blue print for its own complete and efficient public transportation. The establishment of the KLR is expected to speed up the development in SSD and its surrounding area as well as perfect the current public transportation network.

Routes of the Kaohsiung Light Rail (KLR)

The routes of the KLR mainly circle around the heart of the MRT and goes along the waterfront areas in order to consolidate the transportation system and create a convenient public transportation network.

There will be 32 stations (C1~C32) connecting the main districts in Kaohsiung. These 32 stations form a circle network. The KLR is built along the current main roads for easy access. The KLR is also called the green line. 

The C8 station of the KLR on Shin-guang Rd. in the west side of SSD connects to the R8 station of the MRT. This connection will help the development in the nearby waterfront area. 

Advantages and Disadvantages

The KLR will improve the overall transportation in SSD and thus bring along many advantages. Firstly, it will raise the quality of public transportation service, increase the coverage of public transportation and reduce the traffic jams. Secondly, it will consolidate the public transportation and save time on transferring to another transportation system. Thirdly, it helps reconstruct city landscape and boost industrial development. Finally, it will bring along a cleaner and more pleasant living environment for residents in Kaohsiung by reducing air and noise pollution. 

The disadvantage is the inconvenience brought along by the massive construction of KLR and later adapting to a new transportation.

The project of the KLR is meant to modernize Kaohsiung. It plays an essential role in renovating Kaohsiung into an international city. Hopefully, the KLR will help promote the trade and business in SSD and bring a bright future to Kaohsiung.