The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) yesterday took delivery of two of 52 commuter trains ordered from South Korea, calling them the “most beautiful local trains” it has ever had.
The EMU900 trains, painted silver and green, feature a streamlined body with soft curves, while their interiors have been carefully designed to meet commuters’ needs, TRA Director-General Chang Chen-yuan (張政源) said.
With 10 carriages, the EMU900 has 436 seats and room for 1,323 standing passengers, a 40 percent increase in passenger capacity, compared with the currently used EMU700 and EMU800 models, Chang said.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
The new trains are expected to provide better service for commuters, who account for 80 percent of the TRA’s passengers, Chang said at a ceremony at the Port of Hualien, where the trains were delivered.
They are to be tested before next year’s Lunar New Year holiday, and then put into service between Taipei and Hsinchu, the agency said.
Delivery of the 52 trains — which are being built by Hyundai Rotem and cost the TRA a total of NT$25.3 billion (US$874.92 million) — is to be completed by 2023.
Ten more are to be delivered next year, another 12 are to arrive in 2022 and the last 28 are to be delivered in 2023, Chang said.
The EMU900 offers passengers increased accessibility, he said, adding that the model doubles the number of wheelchair seats to eight per carriage, offers specially designed seats for pregnant women and provides space for bicycle riders to store their bikes, he said.
The model has been criticized for only having three restrooms, compared with the four on existing models, but the agency said that space is optimized to cater to short-haul passenger demand.
To celebrate the occasion, the TRA ran its 79-year-old DT668 locomotive to the ceremony, gaining the attention of railroad fans.
Chang Yi-fan (張貽帆), head of a student railway club at National Chiao Tung University, traveled from Hsinchu to Hualien just to capture the moment when the legendary locomotive met the next generation of transport.
“I was moved,” he said. “This is an important moment not only for railway buffs, but also for people interested in Taiwanese history and culture.”
Chang, himself a commuter, said he hopes that the new carriages provide passengers with additional room, making traveling more comfortable.
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