Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) yesterday launched a painted train bearing scenes from Japan’s Shimane Prefecture to mark the sixth anniversary of the company’s friendship with Ichibata Electric Railway (Bataden), which hails from that region.
The special train — the first of several to be operated to celebrate the cooperation between the two railway companies — is to operate until Oct. 21 next year, TRC said at a ceremony at Shulin Railway Station (樹林) in New Taipei City.
The engine of the one-carriage passenger train is a DR1000 diesel-electric unit, which would serve on the Pingsi (平溪) and Shenao (深澳) lines, TRC said.
Photo: CNA
The graphic artist whose work is featured on the painted train is a Shimane resident who combined the prefecture’s most iconic scenic locations with the Formosan bear and cat mascots utilized by TRC and Bataden, the company said.
Bataden president Manabu Taniguchi said that the project was the brainchild of long and careful collaboration between the two companies’ officials to select designs best suited to bring out the most interesting attractions Shimane Prefecture and Taiwan have to offer.
TRC and Bataden established their alliance during the former’s 2016 promotional campaign to attract Japanese tourists to Taiwan centered on local markets and a shared culture of railroad lunchboxes, he said.
The new painted train is a blend of Taiwanese and Japanese railroad culture, turning the vehicle into a movable piece of art that can entertain and inspire its passengers, TRC deputy general manager Huang Chen-chao (黃振照) said.
TRC looks forward to more collaborative projects with Bataden that would be beneficial for both companies, he said.
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