TRA unveils new tilting Taroko-class trains in Hualien

The Taroko, a brand new tilting train manufactured in Japan, was introduced in Hualien yesterday.

The Taiwan Railway Administration has spent NT$2.7 billion (US$82.2 million) for purchasing 48 tilting TE-1000 Series railway cars and locomotives from Hitachi.

Hitachi 10 locomotives and 14 cars on Dec. 17 and another 24 are expected to be delivered in October.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) led a group of lawmakers and Cabinet members to Hualien yesterday for the unveiling of the new trains.

"I am so happy to tell everybody that with the Taroko, it will only take less than an hour to travel from Taipei to Ilan and less than two hours to travel from Taipei to Hualien," Su said at the inauguration ceremony held yesterday in front of Hualien Railway Station.

The railway administration plans to operate the Taroko trains between Taipei and Hualien.

"The first 24 cars are going through a 60-day test and this procedure will be completed on Feb. 15," said Tseng Neng-min (曾能民), an executive for the administration's Hualien section.

"The brand new train will be able to help transport passengers during the Lunar New Year, but we will not officially launch the service until sometime in March, with the exact date yet to be decided," he added.