Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) and Hitachi Toshiba Supreme Consortium (HTSC) signed a new-generation high-speed rolling stock procurement contract in Tokyo, Japan, on 18 May 2023. The contract price for the 144 cars is circa ¥124.091 billion. The THSRC represents the first authority to use Japan Shinkansen technology exported to a foreign country. Figure 1 shows a first-generation THSRC train in a maintenance facility. The impeccable safety record, steadily growing ridership before the COVID-19 pandemic, and revenue surplus already made the Taiwan high-speed rail system a successful reference for Japan’s Shinkansen system to be exported abroad.
Figure 1 A Taiwan high-speed rail 700T train in a maintenance facility.
The procurement process of the new-generation rolling stock fleet started before the COVID-19 pandemic but was suspended in 2021 due to the high price tag, according to local news media reports [1]. The THSRC’s board of directors had passed a resolution in March 2023 to award the new-generation high-speed rolling stock contract to the HTSC. After nearly two months of intensive coordination, the contract was formally signed by Yao-Chung Chiang, THSRC chair, and representatives of the HTSC. This contract will ensure the sustained successful operation of Japan’s Shinkansen system in a foreign country into the next decade.
The new-generation high-speed rolling stock will be modeled on Shinkansen’s N700S, as shown in Figure 2. The new fleet of trains is expected to be delivered in batches from 2026 and put into revenue operation in 2027. Trains of the new fleet not only have a more streamlined appearance than the existing 700T trains of the THSRC but they also have the advantages of light weight, high performance, energy savings, and ride comfort qualities. They will be equipped with 110-V charging sockets at every seat, full-color LCD information displays, arrival light reminders, two-tier luggage racks, and other equipment, which will further contribute to service quality.
Figure 2 A Shinkansen N700S train. (Source: Tokyo Metro Co. Ltd./Takayuki Tsuji; used with permission.)
Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced on 10 May 2023 that the first phase of the city and county of Honolulu’s long-awaited rail transit system would officially begin interim passenger operations at 2 p.m. on 30 June 2023, with a grand opening celebration at the Ha¯lawa rail station, featuring dignitaries and entertainment slated for earlier in the day. Figure 3 provides the route map of the first and second phases of operation.
Figure 3 The Honolulu Rail Transit system first and second phase routes. (Source: Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation; used with permission.)
“This is truly a momentous and historic day for the island of Oahu. Today’s announcement marks the culmination of decades of hard work, perseverance, and overcoming difficult challenges of every kind,” said Blangiardi. “We are all excited for the public to experience firsthand the transformative effect the rail will have for our island home. With today’s announcement, we are turning the page on the largest public works project in Hawaii’s history. On June 30, 2023, beginning at 2 p.m., residents, who have been waiting for so long, will finally have the opportunity to board these beautiful trains and ride them for the very first time,” the mayor added.
The first phase of the city’s rail project covers a roughly 11-mi stretch between the Kualaka’i Station in East Kapolei and the Ha¯lawa Station near Aloha Stadium. Passenger services to additional stations farther east along the rail line are scheduled to commence in phases over the coming years. Preparation of the passenger operation includes comprehensive series of tests of all aspects of the trains, stations, systems, and operating personnel. Figure 4 is an aerial view of a train moving along the track during trial running.
Figure 4 A Honolulu Rail Transit system train undergoes testing. (Source: Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation; used with permission.)
Siemens Mobility and FS Italiane Group, together with its subsidiary TX Logistik, signed a contract at the Transport Logistic trade fair in Munich, Germany, for the delivery of 40 Vectron locomotives. The order includes full-service maintenance for 15 years plus an optional extension of service to the next respective revision. The parties also agreed on an option for ordering 25 additional locomotives. The locomotives will be built at the Siemens Mobility plant in Munich–Allach and are planned to haul freight along the Rhine–Alpine Corridor. The total order volume is around €300 million.
To date, Siemens Mobility has sold more than 1,700 Vectron locomotives to 63 customers in 16 countries. The fleet has so far accumulated more than 700 million km of service mileage. Locomotives based on the Vectron platform are approved for operation in 20 European countries. Figure 5 pictures a Siemens Vectron locomotive to be delivered to TX Logistik.
Figure 5 A Siemens Vectron locomotive to be delivered to TX Logistik. (Source: Siemens Mobility; used with permisssion.)
The locomotives ordered by TX Logistik will have a top speed of 160 km/h and be equipped with the European Train Control System as well as the national train control systems for operation in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Italy. Maintenance of the Vectron locomotives will be handled in the Railcover workshop network located along the Rhine–Alpine Corridor.
For the first time in New South Wales, Australia, transport history, trains were running deep below Sydney Harbor as the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project entered its next stage in April 2023. The new metro trains, as shown in Figure 6, are now traveling in the 15.5-km twin metro railway tunnels, which extend the Metro North West Line from Chastwood Station to Sydenham Station, as part of a rigorous testing and commissioning program.
Figure 6 A Sydney Metro City & Southwest train tests under Sydney Harbor. (Source: Sydney Metro; used with permission.)
This is the first railway crossing below Sydney Harbor, and once metro trains are operational next year, they will move more people across the harbor during peak hours than the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Harbor Tunnel combined. The first stage of testing is completed at low speed, with trains manually driven at a maximum speed of 25 km/h. The trains then gradually move into high-speed testing, where the trains reach a maximum speed of 110 km/h.
Each train will also undergo acceleration and braking testing on the newly built track and complete a series of system checks to ensure that it can perform reliably under operating conditions. Figure 7 shows a test crew carefully examining the gap width between an opened door and the platform edge. On-track train testing and commissioning will continue throughout 2023, ahead of passenger services starting through the Sydney central business district in 2024. Once passenger services start through next year, customers will be able to travel from Central Station to Chatswood Station in 15 min, from Martin Place Station to Sydenham Station in 11 min, and from Victoria Cross Station in North Sydney to Barangaroo Station in just 3 min on a fast reliable metro service.
Figure 7 Sydney Metro personnel examine a platform gap during testing. (Source: Sydney Metro; used with permission.)
[1] B.-Y. Ku, “June 2021 land transportation news [Transportation Systems] ,” IEEE Veh. Technol. Mag., vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 5–7, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1109/MVT.2021.3065789.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MVT.2023.3283059