Taiwan High-Speed Line On Course To Open In 2005 - High Speed: Far East

International Railway Journal, Oct, 2002 by David Briainshaw

There will only be one business-class coach in each train. This will have two-plus-two abreast seating. All other cars will have a two-plus-three seating arrangement. All seats will recline and will have folding tables in the seat backs. There will be overhead luggage racks for small items, and a luggage area at both ends of each coach for larger items.

Trains will be equipped with vending machines selling drinks and snacks, and there will be a trolley service selling a wider range of refreshments, as well as newspapers and souvenirs. Passengers travelling business class will also have individual reading lights, footrests, and audio entertainment via headsets.

An electronic passenger information display system will be provided. The train number, coach number, and destination will be displayed on the side of each car. A telecommunications room will be provided equipped with a fax machine. Pay telephones will be provided in alternate cars.

Facilities for the disabled will include two special seats plus space for passengers remaining in wheelchairs. A "call for aid" device will enable disabled passengers to contact the train crew. A special toilet, as well as a telephone, will be provided for handicapped passengers.

Stations will be equipped with machines to enable passengers to make seat reservations and purchase tickets. There will also be conventional ticket counters. All stations will have automatic ticket gates. Special wide-entrance gates for disabled passengers and those with large suitcases will be provided next to the ticket barrier supervisor's office.

Five different train stopping patterns are envisaged: non-stop, one intermediate stop, plus trains which either call at the northern and/or southern intermediate stations. Trains will run from 06.00 until midnight. The high-speed line will be capable of carrying more than 300,000 passengers a day, which THSRC says is 3.7 times the capacity of the parallel Chungshan highway, and 2.5 times the capacity of Taiwan's Second Northern highway, which has yet to be completed.

RELATED ARTICLE: JR Central Opens New Shinkansen R&D Facility

CENTRAL Japan Railway (JR Central) opened a new research facility 20km northeast of its Nagoya headquarters in July. The 20-hectare site includes a two-storey main building, test facilities buildings, an outdoor track, and environmental conservation facilities.

Test equipment includes a 70m-long low-noise wind tunnel that can generate a maximum wind speed of 350km/h, a 15-seat car section dynamic simulator, a movable loading test car, a 120m-long catenary vibration facility, and multi-axial test equipment for the simulation of train loading. The new facilities will be used to further enhance the Tokaido Shinkansen. Low-noise wind tunnel: this will be used to study aerodynamic phenomena and is said to be the first wind tunnel designed for a railway operator.

Dynamic simulator (pictured): This recreates a 5m-long section of a Shinkansen series 700 car and will be used to research ride comfort. It simulates the oscillating sensation of the real motion of a train through a six-axis motion base, high-Frequency oscillation stand, and linear motor unit. Sound, temperature, and lighting conditions inside the train can be altered, while computer graphics provide a simulation of the scenery seen through the window.