• By Shelley Shan / Contributor

The new E500 electric locomotives are expected to enter service next month if they pass test runs this month, Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) said yesterday.

The purchase of the new electric locomotives is part of the company’s plan to modernise its railway facilities and its five-year plan to improve rail safety and ensure that the safety management system is consistently enforced at all levels, the TRC said.

The E500 locomotives will be used to power the Chukuang and Tze Chiang express trains after they have passed the test run, the company said.

Photo courtesy of Taiwan Railway Corp

An E500 locomotive has 1.8 times more power and has multiple functions such as a 3-in-1 emergency parking switch, a speed limit backup system, an idle suppression system and a door and power locking system, it said.

The company added that the passenger cabins would also be powered directly via a 440-volt system.

The TRC said it had renovated the Tze Chiang Express trains to 96 cores by removing static inverters, installing monitoring systems in the train cabins and upgrading the auxiliary power systems and control bridges, which significantly improved the train’s operational efficiency and safety.

“The use of new locomotives is part of our plan to improve safety. During the test runs, train drivers, train crews and train attendants must complete their safety training and comply with safety regulations,” said TRC Chairman Du Wei (杜微).

Before the introduction of electric locomotives, the company used newly acquired R200 diesel locomotives for its train services.