Have A Fun Ride with Kaohsiung MRT Orange Line
◎Text by Fu-Ju Lin
◎Photos by Chung-Hui Pao
Kaohsiung MRT launched its Orange Line on September 21! It is an addition to the Red Line, which has brought tremendous convenience to city transportation and gained huge recognition from city residents. This launch completes Kaohsiung's MRT network. It also represents an official kickoff of a new MRT era for the Kaohsiung metropolitan area.
The Orange Line is 14 kilometers long. It starts on the west side at the junction of Gushan 1st Road and Linhai 2nd Road, parallel to Jhongjheng Road, and stretches east to Fongshan City and Daliao Township in Kaohsiung County. Among the 14 stations along the line, the Orange Line connects with the Red Line at Formosa Boulevard. A one-way trip from the west end to the east takes merely 28 minutes.
◎Characteristic Stations Stun Everyone
Among the 14 stations along the Orange Line, Formosa Boulevard and Martial Arts Stadium are the most attractive stations. The theme of Formosa Boulevard Station is "Praying" . The glass art installation "Dome of Light" in the lobby is absolutely stunning. It is a masterpiece of Italian artist, Narcissus Quagliata, who spent four and a half years to achieve such perfection. He blended the concepts of water, earth, light and fire and put them into realization in the forms of planets and natural creatures to reflect the true significance of life. Its gorgeous visual effect and exquisite execution touch everyone's heart. With a closer look, you will find that the birds and plants on the dome are local Kaohsiung species. You can even see Kaohsiung's city flower -ceiba!
The Martial Art Stadium Station is surrounded by a sports complex, the Martial Art Stadium, with an internationally standard sized swimming pool. Given its proximity to important sports venues which the city holds large domestic and international games, the station has a sculpture plaza with an oval-shaped skylight, which was designed with the themes of "ocean, sports, vitality and MRT".
◎Experience the Charm of the Wide Open Ocean
Take the Kaohsiung MRT Orange Line to experience the genuine ocean culture. Just hop on the Orange Line and Sizihwan Bay is just a few minutes ride away. The Sizihwan MRT Station is at the junction of Gushan 1st Road and Linhai 2nd Road in Hamasen. The neighboring Kaohsiung Harbor Station is a one hundred-year-old station, now out of service, which holds great significance for the City of Kaohsiung. A 10-minute walk along Linhai 2nd Road takes you to Pier 1. You can either appreciate the harbor view in "Pier One" terrace cafe or get closer to the ocean by taking the ferry from the Gushan Ferry Terminal to Cijin Beach. Take the National Sun Yat-sen University Tunnel and you will arrive at the university and Sizihwan Bay. The romantic sunset by the sea is a sweet memory to many visitors in love. Climb up the stairs at the Former British Consulate at Dagou to overlook the sea coastal area. It is another type of carefree feeling.
◎Go Gourmet Hunting In Yancheng
One station away from Sizihwan is Yanchengpu Station. There you can embark on another interesting journey. Next to Port of Kaohsiung, Yancheng District was one of the early developed areas. What can be found in every small alley is traditional-style gourmet, such as refreshing fruit ice, tasty marinated foods, nostalgic crispy noodles, old-fashioned sticky rice tarts, crystal noodles, popular fried buns and many other delicious dishes. If you are into shopping, Yancheng Jyuejiang Shopping Area, "Gold Ornaments Street", "Accessories Street", "Clocks/Watches /Glasses Street" are definitely great places for a treasure hunt. Yanchengpu Station is located on Wufu 4th Road and Dayong Road -where the best of Yancheng District can be found!
Kaohsiung's most important landmark, Love River, is also reachable from Yanchengpu Station. Love River is the most significant river in Kaohsiung. Your Kaohsiung tour would not be complete without seeing it! Along the river, there are many water fun facilities and tree-lined paths. From downstream heading upstream stand many historical buildings and museums, such as Pier-2 Art Center, Kaohsiung Municipal Film Archives, Kaohsiung Rose Basilica, Kaohsiung Museum of History, Kaohsiung Music Center, Sewer System Exhibition Building and Hakka Historical Culture Center. Love River is indeed where Kaohsiung's culture essence stands.
◎Get A Front Row View Of Love River
"Love Boat" is another great way to get to know Love River. The tour starts from the downstream and goes up to Ruyi Lake, the heart of Love River, carrying with it the fascinating riverside view. At Love Pier, You can also try the tourist ferry bound for Cijin and Singuang Ferry Wharf where a grand view of Kaohsiung Port is a guarantee.
Want more? Bike along the Love River bike path and enjoy the breezy, carefree feeling. Stretching all the way to Lotus Pond, this bike path is many Kaohsiung residents' favorite route (the favorite route for many Kaohsiung residents).
East of Love River is the City Council Station. It is not far from Love River. Just keep walking on Jhongjheng Road and you will get to the river. There are a lot of cafes on both sides of the Jhongjheng Bridge. Live bands at night always attract big crowds. Right on Hesi Road, the craft shop "Happy Land" is owned by minority groups. You can buy some exquisite crafts and bring the cozy Love River atmosphere home. In addition to the craft store, there is a famous steakhouse nearby the City Council Station. The steakhouse is one of the must-tries in Kaohsiung.
◎Get It All - Gourmet and Fashion!
So many delicious foods can be found along the Orange Line. Besides the local delicacies in Yancheng District, real local food experts know where to find the best stewed pork rice and clay oven rolls in the small alleys around Sinyi Elementary School Station. The Formosa Boulevard Station neighborhood is another gourmet haven. Right next to the station exit, you can find delicious dishes that you would never get tired of, such as rice with chicken, spring rolls, and hot pot with Shacha sauce. Nearby French restaurants add variety to the cuisine choice. Toward the direction of Kaohsiung Station, Liouhe Night Market gathers all kinds of seafood and local dishes.
If you want to go shopping, you can check out the apparel and jewelry stores in Nanhua Tourist Night Market or wedding dress stores on Jhongjheng Road and Jhongshan Road. You will definitely be touched by the fashionable and romantic atmosphere.
◎When Culture Meets History
A bit farther west on the Orange Line is another important cultural spot in Kaohsiung -Cultural Center. From the Cultural Center station, walk south on Heping Road and you will see the Cultural Center, a venue of many dynamic and static cultural and art exhibitions. The outdoor Avenue of Fine Arts is a tree-lined boulevard. You can sense the vitality there by watching the stone drums, weekend creativity stalls, ice cream shops, and street performers. The entire neighborhood is full of coffee shops, healthy cuisines and international cuisines. It is definitely a dining hot spot.
The east end of the Orange Line is in Kaohsiung County. Fongshan City in Kaohsiung County is a place enriched with gourmet and history. The Fongling Plaza close to the Fongshan Station is a good place for an afternoon tea. The Chenghuang Temple and the Fongyi Tutorial Academy near Dadong Station are historical spots that are worth visiting.
Both the Red Line and the Orange Line run from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM while the Red Line also has late night services until 11:30 PM. Trains run every six minutes during peak hours and every 10 minutes during off-peak hours. The MRT network is finally complete. It takes local residents and tourists to all the most interesting corners of the city. It also facilitates Kaohsiung's future growth. Let us all take the Kaohsiung MRT and have a tour around this maritime city!
捷運橘線 好好玩
◎文／林昀熹
◎攝影／鮑忠暉
高雄捷運橘線開跑囉！在捷運紅線為高雄人帶來便利的都會交通、備受市民肯定之後，從９月21日起，橘線也加入營運行列，完整建構高雄市的捷運路網，讓大高雄地區正式進入捷運新時代。
捷運橘線全長約14公里，西起鼓山一路、臨海二路口，經中正路，東至高雄縣鳳山市以及大寮鄉，沿線設有14個車站，與捷運紅線在「美麗島站」交會，來往東西端點間只需要約28分鐘。
◎特色站體令人驚艷
在橘線的14個站體中，又以「美麗島站」和「技擊館站」最引人注目。以「祈禱」為主題的「美麗島站」，站內大廳的藝術裝置「光之穹頂」更是不容錯過，這是義大利裔玻璃藝術大師水仙(Narcissus Quagliata)耗時四年半的登峰造極作品，以水、土、光、火四大主題，配合星球、自然生物的形象，呼應生命的真義，斑斕的視覺藝術與精湛的製作技術令人動容；仔細看，穹頂上出現的鳥類、植物，都是高雄特色物種，更包括高雄的市花木棉花喔！
而「技擊館站」週邊圍繞著體育場、技擊館、國際游泳池，是高雄市舉辦國內外大型體育賽事的重要場地，因此特別以「海洋、運動、活力、捷運」為主題，設計出擁有橢圓形開放式採光天井之海洋運動文化雕塑廣場。
◎感受海洋開闊魅力
搭乘高雄捷運橘線，可感受到最道地的高雄海洋風情。橘線開通後，到西子灣變得輕鬆方便。捷運「西子灣站」就在哈瑪星的鼓山一路、臨海二路口，一旁的高雄港站是高雄市第一座火車站，具有百年歷史；沿著臨海二路步行十分鐘即可抵達一號船渠，可在港邊的「壹號船渠」露天咖啡座感受迷人的海港氣氛，更能從鼓山渡輪站前往旗津海邊，親身擁抱大海。經由中山大學隧道，則可抵達中山大學與西子灣，浪漫的西灣夕照總是吸引情侶在此留下甜蜜回憶，尤其登上打狗英國領事館俯瞰海面，更有難以言喻的開闊與舒暢。
◎鹽埕小吃尋寶之旅
與「西子灣站」僅一站之隔的「鹽埕埔站」，則開啟另一段豐富之旅。緊鄰高雄港的鹽埕是高雄市最早開發的區域之一，街頭巷尾遍布各種傳統口味小吃，清涼的水果冰、回味無窮的魯味、保存古早味覺記憶的意麵、維持傳統手藝的米糕、冬粉、天天大排長龍的水煎包......，數不清的各式美味等著遊客發掘。喜歡逛街購物的話，鹽埕堀江商場、金仔街、首飾街、鐘錶眼鏡街......，也都是「尋寶」的好地方。而「鹽埕埔站」就位於五福四路與大勇路口，正是鹽埕的精華地段！
從「鹽埕埔站」還可以前往高雄最重要的地標──愛河。愛河是高雄最重要的河流，沒到過愛河，就不能算是到過高雄喔！愛河沿岸的親水空間與綠帶十分舒適宜人，從下游到中游，駁二藝術特區、電影圖書館、玫瑰聖母堂、歷史博物館、音樂館、客家文物館等歷史建築或博物館群都在河岸附近，可說是高雄藝術文化精華所在。
◎完全體驗愛河之美
搭乘「愛之船」則是另一個感受浪漫愛河的好方法；從下游一路航行至愛河之心如意湖，沿岸景緻讓人心曠神怡；而從河港交會的真愛碼頭，還可以搭乘觀光渡輪前往旗津或新光碼頭，感受高雄港的壯麗氣魄。
此外，愛河沿岸也鋪設有舒適的自行車道，沿著河邊可以一路騎到蓮池潭，享受河畔撲面的清風與自行車的悠閒感受，是許多高雄人最愛的自行車路線。
而位於愛河東岸的「市議會站」離愛河也不遠，沿著中正路走即可到達愛河邊；愛河鄰近中正橋兩岸皆有咖啡座，夜晚的現場演唱更是吸引人潮，河西路的「幸福小站」則有弱勢團體所經營的手工藝品小舖，讓遊客藉由精緻的藝品把愛河的悠閒氣氛帶回家。同時「市議會站」出站後，附近還有知名的牛排館，是高雄美食地圖的重要標地。
◎美食與時尚的匯聚點
捷運橘線沿線的美食還有很多，除了鹽埕小吃，「信義國小站」附近的肉燥飯與燒餅，是「巷仔內」老饕的最愛；「美麗島站」週邊更是美食的匯聚點。就在「美麗島站」出入口旁的雞肉飯、春捲與沙茶火鍋，是許多老高雄百吃不厭的好味道，精緻的法式料理，則提供多樣化的飲食選擇；往高雄車站的方向不久就會來到著名的「六合觀光夜市」，各種海鮮與地方小吃，總能讓遊客大快朵頤。
如果想要逛街，南華觀光商場的服飾、銀樓，可以讓人好好血拼一番，或是逛逛中正路與中山路婚紗街，感受一下充滿時尚與浪漫甜美的夢幻氛圍。
◎文化與歷史的串連
捷運橘線往西，會經過高雄另一個重要文化據點──高雄市立文化中心。從「文化中心站」沿和平路往南走不遠即到文化中心。文化中心除各種動、靜態藝文展演活動，周圍的市民藝術大道更是市民最喜歡的綠地空間，市民藝術大道上的石鼓詩、假日創意市集、冰淇淋店與街頭藝人，更為此空間注入無限活力。而附近的咖啡店、養生風餐廳、異國料理，更是多到不勝枚舉，是流行餐飲的指標地區。
捷運橘線往東行可一路到達高雄縣，尤其是高雄縣治鳳山市，同樣集歷史與美食於一身。像是「鳳山站」週邊的鳳凌廣場就是喝下午茶的好地方，而「大東站」附近的城隍廟與鳳儀書院，更是值得探訪的古蹟。
捷運紅、橘路網的營運時間均為上午６點至晚上11點，紅線目前還提供深夜列車服務到11:30，尖峰時間班距6分鐘，離峰時間班距10分鐘。經過千辛萬苦終於完成的捷運路網，不但能帶著每位市民與遊客深入高雄最有特色、最有趣的角落，更將帶著高雄一起飛躍成長；現在，就一起搭上捷運，遊賞「水高雄」吧！