Taiwan High Speed Rail - Rolling Stock

Rolling Stock

All 30 trainsets used on THSR are electric multiple units (EMUs) of the 700T series, supplied by a consortium led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. THSRC considered ordering an additional six to twelve trains in November 2008 to cope with increased demand expected by 2011, but it was not until May 2012 when four more trainsets were ordered with an option for eight additional trainsets.

The THSR 700T type is based on the 700 Series Shinkansen train used by JR Central and JR West in Japan. This marked the first time Shinkansen technology had been exported to a foreign country. The trains had to be adapted for Taiwanese climate conditions, had to meet European specifications—including additional safety measures—and the nose shape was optimised for tunnels wider than those in Japan.

The maximum service speed of the trains was raised from the 700 Series Shinkansen's 285 to 300 km/h (177 to 186 mph). The 12 cars of a 700T train are grouped in three traction units with three power cars and one trailer each, providing 10.26 MW of power; both end cars are trailers to avoid slip on powered bogies. The train is 304 m (997 ft) long and has a mass of 503 t (554 short tons) when empty. The trains have a passenger capacity of 989 seats in two classes: 66 seats in 2+2 configuration in the single Business Car and 923 in 2+3 configuration in the eleven Standard Cars. The per capita energy consumption of a fully loaded 700T train is 16% of that of private cars and half that of buses; carbon dioxide emissions are 11% of private cars and a quarter that of buses.