Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin announced Wednesday that the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system's Luzhou Line will begin operations on Nov. 3 to coordinate with the grand opening of the Taipei International Flora Expo on Nov. 11. Furthermore, from Nov. 3 to Dec. 2 the line will provide a 30-day free trial service for people using Easycards, he said. 'We hope the public will take great advantage of the new line to visit the Flora Expo, ' said Hau, adding that he hopes the now 105.4- kilometer-long MRT network will help ease the traffic flow expected when international travelers visit the flower festival. The Luzhou Line, which began construction in 2002, connects the capital with Luzhou and Sanchong cities in Taipei County, on the west side of Danshui River. The 12.5-kilometer Luzhou Line is expected to lift the system's current average daily total of 1.41 million passenger-trips to around 1.58 million, according to the Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS). DORTS also projected that the annual total would surpass 500 million passenger- trips by the end of this year, as the MRT system better connects Taipei City and Taipei County. As an example, DORTS said passengers will be able to travel from Luzhou Station to Taipei Main Station via a combination of the Luzhou and Danshui lines in just 22 minutes. (By Hsin-Yin Lee) 