Department of Rapid Transit Systems

In Taipei, the MRT has already been deeply integrated into everyone's lives. However, being able to use your feet to walk in the tunnel that the MRT trains run in every day would definitely be an unforgettable experience, and on November 28, 120 people wrote about this first-hand experience.
In 1992, the global activity "open house" was launched in London, and each year spaces in the city which are closed off to the public are "opened up,"and the general public is invited to visit them for free. This global annual event has been through 28 years of continuous evolution and promotion, and this year will be its first foray into Taipei with the hosting of "Open House Taipei." Furthermore, on November 28-29, 50 wonderful hidden spaces were opened to the public in Taipei City and New Taipei City.  Among them was Taipei City DORTS Second District Project Office (referred to below as SDPO), which specially cooperated with this event and opened "MRT Wanda Line Botanical Garden Station Shield Tunnel Construction Site" on the 28^th. This enabled the public who had made appointments in advance to view the spectacular construction scene first-hand.
SDPO is responsible for the construction of MRT Wanda line Botanical Garden Station. The station is built on top of historical sites (botanical gardens and Shuntanpu Culture sites  (http://readopac2.ncl.edu.tw/nclJournal/search/summny_list.jsp?sysId=0006844860&dtdId=000040), and the surrounding area is known as Nanhai Academy Humanities Special Zone. Cultural venues with classical architecture, such as the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute Taipei Branch, National Taiwan Arts Education Center, Nanhai Academy, and National Museum of History are located within the zone along with schools such as Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, Nanmen Junior High School, and Mandarin Experimental Elementary School. Moreover, various cultural exhibitions and performances are regularly held.
Unlike other MRT stations, which require two years to excavate the station body, because this station is built on a historical site (botanical garden ruins), in order to maintain the integrity of the site and preserve the cultural relics, a "human-labor archaeological excavation" was carried out in the early stages. While the archaeological team was excavating the site, a survey of the cultural site was simultaneously conducted, and the site rescue work, which was originally expected to be completed in August 2018, was completed one and a half months earlier, thanks to the diligent efforts of DORTS and the manufacturer. In addition, substantial station construction projects including the diaphragm wall, box culvert construction, and the shield machine excavation were also completed at the same time, and recently in cooperation with cyber celebrity, musician Lin Tzu An (http://dict.site/%E6%9E%97%E5%AD%90%E5%AE%89.html), an MV was filmed at the site to much fanfare.
Taipei MRT construction quality has been affirmed by people in all walks of life, and during the peak period of construction, Wanda line is a must-visit place for people from all walks of life to learn about MRT construction and exchanges. Botanical Garden Station construction site contains rich cultural resources, and it the most popularly visited site. Due to work and safety considerations, each visit must be booked in advance, and the amount of appointments number in the thousands. Based on site safety considerations, only the first 120 people can be taken into this location which is difficult to be glimpsed by outsiders.
On the 28^th, there were two visits in the morning and afternoon consisting of 60 visitors each, and each session was divided into four groups to visit the ring area, the archaeological area, the station area, and the tunnel area in sequence with guided commentary by colleagues who are actually responsible for the construction projects. In addition to getting personally involved in the construction scene and experiencing the project, visitors can gain an understanding of how the MRT truly shuttles and digs beneath the streets of Taipei City and is diligently built through difficult processes.
Taipei City Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng paid a special visit to the scene in the afternoon to become a tour guide and provide explanations for visiting guests, pleased that so many visitors were concerned about the construction of the MRT. In addition, cyber celebrity, violin musician Lin Tzu An, and Huang brothers Ray Du and Zhe also personally participated in the grand event.
In cooperation with this event, DORTS SDPO carried out numerous safety drills in advance to ensure that visitors can reap the rewards of a safe and successful event, and they specially planned a film area, an archaeological area, a ring area and a shield tunnel area in the Botanical Garden Station area. This enabled visitors to not only take pictures in the shield tunnel area but also make use of video and archaeological explanations to gain an understanding of the construction methods and archaeological rescue procedures implemented during the excavation process of this project. It also  enables the public to utilize the introduction of the shield tunnel ring to gain a deep understanding of DORTS' engineering quality. In addition, the people who came to visit also said that the trip was worthwhile, and people who are unable to come can also visit the DORTS SDPO Facebook fan page.
DORTS SDPO Facebook fan page:  https://reurl.cc/d5O2rV
MRT Wanda Line – Botanical Garden Station Open House Taipei (video):  https://youtu.be/6oYpQnvk-SU