YAMAGUCHI, Japan - Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. on Thursday unveiled a new train built for Taiwan's high-speed rail operator at a shipment ceremony in western Japan, with commercial service planned to begin as early as 2027.
The N700ST, based on the N700S model used on the Tokaido Shinkansen line connecting Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations, was shown to reporters and railway officials at a Hitachi plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture, ahead of the first shipment of Japanese-built Shinkansen trains to Taiwan in 22 years.
"The delivery of the first train is always very important," said Giuseppe Marino, a senior vice president at Hitachi.
He said the milestone was made possible by close cooperation between Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp., Central Japan Railway Co., which operates Tokaido Shinkansen Line, suppliers and other parties involved in the project.
Hitachi and Toshiba received an order in 2023 for 12 trainsets, each consisting of 12 cars, for about 124 billion yen ($758 million).
The N700ST will operate at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour and can travel on batteries to a safe location during a power outage, according to Hitachi.
Taiwan High Speed Rail currently operates 700T trains based on Japan's 700 series.
The Taiwanese railway operator said the previous day it would donate 20 million yen to support recovery from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan on Tuesday, joining other organizations in Taiwan pledging support following the disaster.
