Taiwan 700T High Speed Train – East Penn Traction Club

Taiwan committed to high speed rail with a 346 km line between Taipei and Kaohsiung, serving 14 cities along the country’s west coast. The line, mostly on elevated viaduct with slab track, uses a mix of Japanese and European technology, while the trainsets are based on the Japanese Series 700 design. Both trains are composed of 4-car EMU units (3 powered, 1 trailer), with the 700T having 3 units (12 cars total) and the 700 4 units (16 cars total). The 700T trains, built by Kawasaki, seat 989 passengers in 11 “deluxe” cars and one first-class car, with a 300 km/h (186 mi/h) maximum speed for both design and service. When public service began in January 2007, Taiwan immediately leapt into 3rd place in the World Speed Survey published in “Railway Gazette International,” behind France and Japan. The 700T N-scale model was produced by Kato for sale in Taiwan, and is shown alongside Kato’s Series 700 shinkansen model for comparison.
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