Major hub in New Taipei

Right next to New Taipei City Hall, the Banqiao Metro Station is in the middle of a business district at the heart of New Taipei, where several department stores and malls have established presences.

While the metro Blue Line, railway and the high-speed rail stations are located in the same building, a long-haul bus station is right next to the Banqiao Station. That status as a hub made Banqiao the top station on the Yellow Line when it opened on Jan. 31, 2020.

The Banqiao Metro Station has traditionally seen surges in passenger traffic from mid-November through December, thanks to the Christmasland event in New Taipei that features art installations, light shows, a market and pop concerts. In December 2019, the station handled 3.72 million passengers, 44 percent more than the 2.58 million averaged in the other 11 months that year.

One oddity in the statistics is the growing gap between the number of passengers entering and exiting the Banqiao metro station since it opened in 2006. In 2019, 1.21 million more passengers exited the metro station than entered it, about 3,327 people every day who arrive in Banqiao by the subway and use other means of transportation when leaving the area. Taipei Metro believes this is a result of other transportation options as well as the shopping and entertainment venues available in the area.

The Taipei City Hall Station has seen the same, with 579,432 more passengers exiting than entering it in 2019, while Taipei Main Station had 577,517 more people enter than exit it. A lack of events at Taipei Main Station is believed to be a factor.