Taiwan’s Jiji Line established twinning ties with Japan’s Isumi Line yesterday in the latest initiative to promote cooperation and exchanges between the railway systems of the two nations, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said.
From now on, passengers holding used tickets for either of the rail lines can ride on the other’s trains, TRA Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said after signing a contract with Isumi Railway Co president Akira Torizuka in Taipei.
The 29.7km Jiji Line in the central counties of Changhua and Nantou is the longest branch line operated by the TRA.
Photo: CNA
The Isumi Line, in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, is 26.8km long.
To celebrate the establishment of sisterhood ties with the Isumi Line, the TRA yesterday also launched a commemorative version of its Jiji one-day trip ticket that includes the logos of both rail lines. A total of 1,500 tickets were available at NT$78 each.
The TRA said it would also set up twinning ties with Japan’s Tokyu Corp in February next year.
Photo: CNA
Partnerships between Taiwan’s and Japan’s railway systems began in 2012, when the TRA’s CK124 steam locomotive established sisterhood ties with Japan Rail’s Hokkaido C11 steam locomotive.
Last year, the TRA’s Songshan Station became a sister station of Japan’s Matsuyama Station. The names of the two stations are written in the same way in Chinese, using two characters that mean “pine mountain.”
In April this year, the TRA’s Pingsi Line in New Taipei City also forged sisterhood ties with the Chokai Sanroku Line in the northern Japanese prefecture of Akita.
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