The Taroko Tilting Express, named after the 19-kilometer-long Taroko Gorge, one of Taiwan's most popular tourist sites, went into operation after four months of test rides. Purchased from Japan-based Marubeni Corp. Ltd. and Hitachi Ltd., the tilting trains were equipped with a special mechanism to counteract the centrifugal force when running around bends, the Taipei Times reported March 21.
All tickets for the first express run sold out before it left Hualien Main Station at 6:08 a.m., the TRA said May 8. The train arrived at Taipei Main Station at 8:40 a.m.
The new train has a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour, more than 10 percent faster than traditional trains. This was possible due to their lighter weight and ability to maintain faster speeds on curved sections of track, the TRA explained.
The TRA now provides an additional 2,660 seats on weekdays and 3,420 seats from Friday to Sunday. "I think this will help relieve traffic problems in eastern Taiwan," transportation vice minister Ho Nuan-hsuen said May 8 on Radio Taiwan International. The TRA explained that this would be achieved using six to nine of the new trains each day during the initial phase of operation, with 380 seats in the eight carriages of each of the trains. A TRA statement released in January said launch of the Taroko Express was expected to boost passenger capacity, which had experienced shortfalls of seats.
Although passengers found the seats comfortable, some expressed dissatisfaction with instability once the train was in motion, Taipei-based Chinese Television System Inc. reported May 8. This was unavoidable at high speeds on narrow rails, TRA public-relations spokesperson Wong Huei-ping responded the same day. To maintain quality of service, the TRA does not sell tickets for standing passengers at present.
The TRA spent around US$78.4 million to purchase 48 carriages from Japan. Twenty-four have already started running, and the remaining 24 will be delivered in October. Before that, the TRA planned to study transportation efficiency and solicit passengers' opinions after one month of operation. If the results were positive, the agency would submit applications to the MOTC to buy more trains of this design.
Environmentalists campaigning against construction of an expressway between Su-ao in Yilan County and Hualien said the new train was one example of possible alternatives to the road.
Write to Annie Huang at shihyin@mail.gio.gov.tw