First EMU3000 intercity train will arrive in June: expected to relieve congestion on east coast line
Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) announced today, April 11, that the first of 50 newly-purchased EMU3000 trains will be delivered in June, and priority will be given to reducing congestion on the Eastern Trunk Line.
The EMU3000 will function as a multipurpose, non-tilting intercity train, and is expected to increase passenger capacity by 40% on the east coast line, effectively solving the problem of excess demand during peak travel periods.
The trains were purchased from Hitachi Corporation, Japan, in a record-breaking NT$44.3 billion (US$1.55 billion) deal inked in January 2019 that saw the largest number of single-model vehicles ever ordered by TRA.
Following the first delivery in June, another 12-car train is expected in July, with five more trains expected to arrive by the end of 2021. Another 15 trains will be delivered in 2022, 16 in 2023, and 12 in 2024. The total number of cars delivered will number 600, making up 50 trains.
The first 7 trains delivered by the end of this year will be put into service on the eastern trunk line.
With multipurpose functionality, some of the trains will serve as intercity trains, and are expected to replace some of the aging fleet of Juguang, and Ziqiang class express trains on both the west and east coasts. Others will be put into service to increase capacity of commuter services in metropolitan areas.
The EMU3000s are being delivered and put into service concurrently with the new EMU900s. The first EMU900 was delivered October 2020 and began service April 1.
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