美麗島站

Formosa Boulevard Station - Churashima Station - Jiéyùn Měilìdǎo Zhàn - Dome of Light

Useful Information

Location:	Kaohsiung City. At the junction of Jhongjheng and Jhongshan Road. (22.631389, 120.301913)
Open:	All year daily 6:30-22. Light Show: All year Mon-Thu 11, 15, 20, Fri 11, 15, 19, 20, Sat, Sun 11, 15, 17, 19, 20. [2022]
Fee:	free. [2022]
Classification:	Underground Railway
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	Ø=30 m, Ar=2,180 m².
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:	捷運照片選輯 pdf
Address:	Formosa Boulevard Station, No. 115, Zhongshan 1st Rd, Xinxing District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 800, Tel: +886-7-793-8888.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

2009	station inaugurated.

Description

The special thing with 美麗島站 (Formosa Boulevard Station) is the art installation 光之穹頂 (Dome of Light). The subway station of Kaohsiung MRT (KMRT) is the sole interchange station between metro lines in Kaohsiung, located in Sinsing District. It was named after the Formosa Boulevard project, a remodelling of Kaohsiung's Jhongshan Road in preparation for the 2009 World Games, an international multi-sport event held in Kaohsiung. The project was named after the Formosa Incident or Kaohsiung Incident. On 10-DEC-1979 the head of Formosa Magazine, Shih Ming-teh, the veteran opposition legislator Huang Hsin-chieh, and other opposition politicians held a demonstration commemorating Human Rights Day to promote and demand democracy in Taiwan. The government used this protest as an excuse to arrest the main leaders of the political opposition. The event is considered the most important step on the road to democracy in Taiwan, as it galvanised the Taiwanese community into political action. However, beneath all this political stuff, Formosa is the name of the island on which Taiwan s located.

The station is known for its Dome of Light, the largest glass work in the world, designed by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata. It is 30 m in diameter and covers an area of 2,180 m², made up of 4,500 glass panels. It is the reason why the Formosa Boulevard Station is ranked second-most beautiful metro station in the world. We have no idea what this means, we do not know what the most beautiful station is, and have no idea who did this ranking, but that's the official statement. The dome is so spectacular, it is used as a venue for weddings. Several times a day, there is a short (3-7 minutes) light show. Less known, but also quite spectacular are the four pedestrian entrances made of glass which were designed by the renowned Japanese architecture firm, Shin Takamatsu Architect & Associates.

Located at the junction of Jhongjheng and Jhongshan Road the station has 11 exits and three underground levels with an island platform and two side platforms. The Orange Line station is 334 m long, while the Red Line station is 209 m long, and transferring between the lines takes roughly four minutes. The easiest way to visit it is by using the subway to get there. The dome of light is in the entrance area and freely accessible, for the platforms you need a valif ticket.