Taroko Express

The Taroko Express (Chinese: 太魯閣號; pinyin: Tàilǔgé Hào) is an express train service of Taiwan Railway Corporation, and is part of Tze-Chiang Limited Express. The name of the service comes from the 19-kilometre (12-mile) long Taroko Gorge, which is one of Taiwan's most popular tourist spots, and the Truku people. It began commercial operations on 16 February 2007.

TEMU1000 series "Taroko Express"
Taroko Express set 4 (TEMU1007/1008) near Xizhi
In service	2007–present
Manufacturer	Hitachi Rail
Family name	AT300 (rolling stock) Tze-chiang limited express (service)
Constructed	2006–2007, 2014–2015
Number built	65 vehicles (8 sets + 1 car)
Number in service	56 vehicles (7 sets)
Number retired	1 set (TEMU1013/1014)
Number scrapped	1 car (TED1010)
Formation	8 cars per trainset
Fleet numbers	TEMU1001–TEMU1016
Operators	Taiwan Railway Corporation
Specifications
Car body construction	Aluminium
Train length	166.99 m (547 ft 10 in)
Car length	21,995 mm (72 ft 1.9 in) (TED) 20.5 m (67 ft 3 in) (others)
Width	2.91 m (9 ft 7 in)
Height	4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) (TEP) 4.03 m (13 ft 3 in) (others)
Doors	4 per car, 2 more for drivers
Maximum speed	150 km/h (93 mph) (design) 130 km/h (81 mph) (service)
Traction system	Hitachi IGBT–C/I
Traction motors	16 × Hitachi HS32529-06RB 190 kW (255 hp) asynchronous 3-phase AC
Power output	3.04 MW (4,077 hp)
Electric system(s)	25 kV 60 Hz AC (nominal) from overhead catenary
Current collector(s)	Pantograph
UIC classification	2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

The Taroko Express uses the tilting electrical multiple unit series known as TEMU1000 based on the JR Kyushu 885 series. They were imported to Taiwan in 2006; since 2007, they have been running between Hualien and Taipei City, on the curved Yilan line at the existing narrow gauge tracks, where they reduced traveling time between the two places from previously 3 hours down to about 2 hours.^[1] Some trains also continue from Taipei to Tianzhong. Its maximum operational speed is 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph).^[2]

Taroko Express set 7 in Hello Kitty livery at Kaohsiung in 2016. After the livery was removed, this trainset would later derail, killing 49.

On 2 April 2021, a Taroko Express train derailed in Hualien County, killing 49 people with many others injured.^[3][4]

See also

• Rail transport in Taiwan
• Puyuma Express
• Media related to TRA TEMU1000 at Wikimedia Commons