If you are a rider of the Orange Line in the Taipei MRT, you may have noticed something different on some of the trains. The central grab poles, called stanchions, have been removed from four cars on two trains. The removal is meant to ease the flow of passengers getting on and off the train, and prevent crowding near the doors. But it has also reduced the number of places passengers can hold onto, especially if they are shorter or have arm mobility issues.
The train arrives at the platform, and the doors open. Inside, something feels a little off. The pole that used to be in the middle of the car is gone.
Passenger
I think having the pole there gives passengers another place to hold onto. But removing it makes it possible for more people to come in.
Passenger
Sometimes when the train is braking or accelerating it can be a bit wobbly, and you bump against other people.
Some people like the change, but parents with children not so much. Back in September, the Taipei MRT revamped two trains running on the Orange Line, removing the central stanchions from Car 2 to Car 5 on each train.
And that’s not the only difference. A yellow sign has been posted on the floor, designating the area in front of the doors as a waiting area for alighting passengers. The redesign aims to clear out space to make it easier for passengers to move in and out, and prevent crowding at the doors.
Mishelle Meng
FTV reporter
In the trials, grab handles have been kept in their original places at the center and on the sides of the car. But for someone like me, at 159 centimeters tall, you have to stretch out your arm quite a bit to hold on properly. This has raised concerns that people with lower stature, children and people with frozen shoulder may have nowhere to grab onto. If the train takes a turn or pulls on the brakes, it could be a cause of accidents.
Voice of Ling Chi-yao
Metro Taipei Costumer Service Center
Metro Taipei looked at other metro systems around the world. The grab handles and handrails have been kept. Passengers can sit down on the seats, hold onto the grab bars on the sides of the doors, or grab the handrails to be steady during the ride.
Metro Taipei says the trial has been quite effective, but did not elaborate on whether more stanchions will be removed.
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