The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) will use nanotechnology on its new trains to combat the nagging problems of odors and dust, officials said yesterday.
The officials said surveys have found that passengers have complained most about the "foul smell" of the restrooms on trains, leading the TRA to employ the new technology on the "Taroko Express," as the new tilted trains tservicing the Taipei to Hualien route are called.
The new trains are due to make their debut next Tuesday.
While demonstrating the new technology in Taipei on Saturday, officials said that passengers on the express trains will notice that the restrooms no longer have an offensive smell.
The TRA has reportedly invested NT$2.8 billion (US$84.84 million) to purchase the new trains, which will drastically cut travel time between Taipei and Hualien from 2 hours and 45 minutes to 1 hour and 55 minutes.
The officials said they were using technology developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute to help sterilize the restrooms and clean the glass windows on the trains.
They said a dust-fighting coating material will prevent dust from accumulating on the glass, adding that experiments have shown the material cuts the amount of dust that accumulates on windows by half.
The new technology will initially be used on the Taroko Express train. Its use on other trains will come at a later date, the officials said.
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