The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) plans to relaunch a dining car service as part of its plans to boost passenger numbers.
The nation’s largest railway system first offered dining cars in the 1960s. Back then, cabins equipped with dining tables were attached to express trains.
The TRA suspended the service in 1990 in the wake of financial losses.
TRA deputy director Chang Ying-huei (張應輝) said the administration decided to reintroduce the service as a way to encourage people to use its cruise trains. He said the administration plans to renovate two Tzu-Chiang-class express cabins and turn them into dining cars. Two-thirds of the cars will be converted into dining space. The food service station will have a food-processing table, bar stools, a coffee machine and other equipment for preparation of meals.
The TRA has hired professional interior designers to design the cars, he said, and the project is estimated to cost approximately NT$3 million (US$90,000). Work is set to begin in May.
Chang said each car would be able to accommodate 32 diners, who would be served coffee, snacks and light meals, adding that the well-known TRA lunchboxes would also be sold in the dining cars.
“The point is for passengers to enjoy the atmosphere while they are on the cruise trains,” Chang said. “We want the dining car to be a place where they can enjoy the trip and kill time. We don’t intend to provide big meals.”
If the service is warmly received, the TRA may consider offering more dining cars, Chang said.
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