Light Green Line and UK Railways

News Bites

Hi everyone, it's time for a fresh episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's episode…
A new metro line in Taipei, a big change coming for railways in the UK, and what you hear in a seashell.
Stay tuned for more on these stories.
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台北捷運淺綠線 工程進展順利
Work Moves Forward on Light Green Line
Do you ever take the Taipei Metro (臺北捷運)?
Yeah! The MRT is really convenient (方便).
It can take you anywhere in Taipei or New Taipei.
Well, not "anywhere".
There are some places the Metro doesn't reach yet.
If you live in Taipei's Wanhua (萬華) District, or New Taipei's Shulin (樹林) District, there's likely not a Metro station near your home.
But that is about to change.
Both cities are hard at work on a new MRT line.
It's called the Light Green Line (淺綠線).
It will go from Taipei's CKS Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) all the way to New Taipei's Huilong (迴龍) Station.
The new metro line will be built in 2 phases.
新捷運線將分兩期興建。
Phase 1 is all underground (地下鐵路).
The tunnel will start at CKS Hall.
From there the line will serve Taipei's Wanhua District and pass below the Xindian (新店) River.
It will snake under New Taipei's Yonghe (永和) and Zhonghe (中和) Districts.
These are some of Taiwan's most densely populated places (人口最稠密的地方), so there will be lots of passengers to use the train.
Then it enters phase 2.
That's the part workers recently started building.
The train will rise aboveground in Tucheng (土城) District and become an elevated rail (高架鐵路).
There it will meet with the Blue Line, allowing passengers to transfer (轉車).
It will cross over the Dahan (大漢) River into Shulin District.
Finally it will end up at Huilong Station in Xinzhuang (新莊) District.
At Huilong, passengers can transfer to the Orange Line, or to the Taoyuan Brown Line, which is also under construction.
The Light Green Line will save passengers (乘客) in these areas a lot of time.
People in Tucheng can get to CKS Memorial Hall Station in just 20 minutes.
For people living in Shulin, their trips downtown (去市中心旅行) will be half an hour shorter.
This project will also take cars off the road.
That's because more people can take the train instead of driving.
It will improve traffic, cut air pollution, and save passengers money.
這項計畫會改善交通、減少空氣污染並節省旅客的費用。
The project is due to finish in 2031.
So, seven years from now, you may be riding the Light Green Line yourself.
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英國工黨承諾 把火車國有化
UK's Labour Party Promises to Nationalize Trains
Who owns the trains (火車)?
That depends on the country.
In Taiwan, the government runs Taiwan Railways.
However, in the UK, trains are run by private companies.
台灣的火車是國營的，但是英國火車屬於私家公司。
If you want to take a train from one UK city to another…
…you need to book expensive tickets (車票) with a private train company.
But that may be about to change.
One political party (政黨) thinks the UK government should run passenger trains.
The Labour Party (英國工黨) say they will make sure that happens…
…but only if they win the election (選舉).
Why do they want to do this?
These days, a lot of people in the UK think their trains are terrible.
Prices are high and service is poor.
英國火車票價格很貴，服務很差。
It's been getting worse since private companies (私人公司) bought the railways from the government, 30 years ago.
These companies only cared about making money.
They increased fares so they could get higher profits (利潤).
What's more, the companies treated the train drivers poorly.
Many of the drivers went on strike (司機罷工), causing even more problems.
What a mess!
It was not always like this.
Long ago, the British government ran all the trains.
They did their best to make sure the fares were affordable, and the service helped everyone.
Their train system was the envy of the world (令全世界羨慕).
A lot of people want to bring that system back, by letting the government take control again.
And now, the Labour Party has promised (承諾) to do just that.
They say, if they win the election, they will nationalise the railways and lower fare prices.
他們說，如果當選，他們會把鐵路國有化並降低票價。
Labour has a very high chance of winning this year.
Then we will see if they actually keep their promise to all the train-riders of the UK.
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So, in today's News Bites…
A new metro line is being built in Taipei and New Taipei.
The Light Green Line will connect many districts.
It is set to finish in 2031.
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And,
The UK might nationalize trains.
That means the government will run them.
It's what the Labor Party has promised to do if they win the next election.
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever held a seashell to your ear to hear the sound of the sea?
That sound you hear isn't really the ocean.
The sound comes from noise around you!
The shell's shape makes the noise bounce around inside, which changes how it sounds.
It often ends up sounding like the deep, rumbling noise of ocean waves.
So although the sound isn't really the ocean…part of the sound is the ocean if you're at the beach!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [e-mail], and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!