Tilting EMUs for Limited Express Services of Taiwan Railway Administration

Manufacturer	Hitachi, Ltd.
Built for	Taiwan Railway Administration
Route	Between Taipei (Shulin) and Hualien, on East Trunk Line
Product type	Tilting EMUs for limited express service
Year ordered, delivered or shipped	Deliveries began in December 2006
Launch of commercial operations	May 2007

These tilting trains, designed for limited express service, were ordered from Marubeni Corporation and Hitachi, Ltd. for Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA). They operate at a maximum running speed of 130 km/h between Shulin, in Taipei’s western district, and Hualien, on the East Trunk Line.

TRA track is narrow gauge (1067 mm) and the East Trunk Line has many curves, so to permit high-speed operations even on curved sections of the line, Japanese tilting rolling stock was selected. The tilting mechanism uses a roller type natural tilt system, which actively takes advantage of centrifugal forces exerted on the carbodies when negotiating curves, and employs air cylinders in the tilt actuators. Maximum tilt angle is ± 5°. The tilt is controlled by a predictive tilt control system, which matches track curve configuration data and position data with the train’s current position (obtained through a position detection system), and which then prevents a delay in the carbodies’ tilting action. The tilt control system makes it possible to increase speeds on curved track by 25 to 30 km/h over what could otherwise be achieved, without any reduction in riding comfort.

The train’s nickname is Taroko, named after the scenic Taroko Gorge near the terminus, Hualien.