TAIPEI, April 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Taiwan Railways Administration’s new EMU 900 series trains have undergone extensive testing and trial operations since they arrived from Korea on October 24 last year.
They have now passed TUV Rheinland’s safety verification process ensuring that every aspect of their performance complies with requirements for safe operation.
The inaugural train departed its depot on April 1, and each subsequent train will increase capacity by about 40%.
The new EMU incorporates accessibility features such as the Pink Light Receiver on priority seats.
Pregnant women can use the Pink Light Transmitter to trigger the light and remind a non-priority occupant to give up the seat.
Other features include self-adjusting cabin lighting, disabled access area, emergency wireless intercom for contacting the train conductor, and expanded bicycle storage space.
The passenger seats were also designed, developed, and fabricated by a local company before being shipped in containers to Korea for installation.
Onboard equipment such as the 500L water tank and pressurization equipment supplying the washrooms, the vacuum septic tank for the toilets, and the hygiene equipment were sourced locally as well.
The first two trains have been designated EMU 901 and EMU 902.
Each EMU 900 train will consist of 10 carriages, including 5 motor cars and 5 trailer cars, making it the longest of all fixed-configuration commuter EMUs currently operating in Taiwan.
The driver cabs at either end of each train are designed with crashworthy structure, while the critical equipment has undergone a series of safety and function verification procedures that ensure the optimal combination of reliability, safety, and operation & maintenance performance.