New vehicle "N700ST" for Taiwan High Speed ​​Rail arrives at Kaohsiung Port, aiming to start operation in July next year

The N700ST, a new train for the Taiwan High Speed ​​Rail (Taiwan High Speed ​​Rail) that uses Japanese Shinkansen technology, arrived at Kaohsiung Port in southern Taiwan on the 15th, and a ceremony was held there. The first formation will complete trial runs by the end of April next year, with the aim of starting commercial operations on July 1st.

The new train is based on the Tokaido Shinkansen's latest train, the N700S, and Hitachi, Toshiba, and others have developed and manufactured 12 trainsets (12 cars per train) for Taiwan. The Japanese side had received an order for approximately 124 billion yen in 2023. The first formation was shipped from Hitachi, Ltd.'s Kasado Office in Kudamatsu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture to Taiwan at the end of July this year.

The new vehicle will operate at the same maximum speed of 300km/h as the current vehicle. A nursing room and barrier-free facilities will also be introduced.

At the ceremony, Takuya Yamakawa of Hitachi, Ltd.'s Railway Business Unit gave a speech on behalf of the Hitachi-Toshiba Alliance, saying, ``We are confident that this new-generation vehicle will contribute to the further development of Taiwan's high-speed rail and improve its services, and will help support the development of Taiwanese society.''