China: New Taipei City has begun trial passenger operation of the 14.3 km Sanying MRT line, which serves 12 stations. Trains currently run every 6 minutes at peak times and every 8 minutes off-peak.
Hitachi Rail built 29 two-car trainsets running the line, all rated at the highest automation level, GoA4, at its plant in Kudamatsu, Japan. Top speed is 80 km/h, and each train seats 100 of its 330 total passengers.
Hitachi Rail train on a driverless light rail line in Taiwan. Source: Sinsyuan/Wikimedia
Hitachi Rail’s scope under the 2016 contract went well beyond the trains themselves: CBTC signalling, SCADA systems, platform screen doors and depot equipment all came from the same deal.
Hitachi Rail train on a driverless light rail line in Taiwan. Source: New Taipei City Government
Getting the line built wasn’t straightforward. The elevated route had to cross two motorways, two mainline railways and four rivers, and the original 2023 opening date slipped as the COVID-19 pandemic, land acquisition disputes and material price rises tied to the conflict in Ukraine all took their toll.
