Train enthusiasts from across the nation yesterday gathered at train stations in Hualien and New Taipei City to bid farewell to the last of the Fu-hsing semi-express trains, once the workhorse of Taiwan’s passenger railway system.
Fu-hsing Semi-Express No. 605 was the last of its kind to embark on a journey when it left Hualien Station at 6:05am on a three-hour, 51-minute trip to Shulin Station in New Taipei City.
Several train buffs and Hualien residents gathered at the departure station to take photographs and catch a glimpse of the locomotive at it left adorned with commemorative decorations.
Photo: CNA
More people gathered at Shulin Station to watch the train make its final stop at 9:56am and bid the Fu-hsing series farewell.
One train enthusiast, surnamed Lai (賴), said he took the day off work to ride the train one last time with his wife and two children, after having lived with Fu-hsing-series trains his entire life.
Due to the unique braking system of the trains, it takes experience and skill to drive them, the train’s driver said, while its conductor said he was proud and sad to see a rolling stock older than him take its final bow.
The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) sold 300 NT$150 commemorative tickets for the Hualien to Xincheng Taroko Station stretch of the train’s final journey, which included official TRA validation.
Rolled out in early 1981, the Fu-hsing series were the first domestically built trains in the nation and the first with air-conditioning.
Once ubiquitous across the nation, Fu-hsing trains were phased out and replaced by more modern rolling stock and high-speed trains on most of the TRA routes.
All of the trains’ services would be taken over by the new EMU900 and existing EMU500 trains, as well as Tze-Chiang Limited Express trains following slight adjustments to the TRA’s schedule that took effect yesterday.
The change is part of a significant modernization of the TRA’s fleet that included the retirement on Monday of the EMU1200 train used on certain Ziqiang Limited Express routes, the TRA said.
The phasing out of older models would enable the TRA to fully utilize its newly acquired Japan-built EMU3000 trains and South Korean-made EMU900 trains that went into service last year.
The bulk of the Fu-hsing trains are to be demolished, except for some passenger cars that would be salvaged and repurposed for use on the South Link Line, the TRA said.
A Straits Exchange Foundation official today warned that yielding to political pressure in exchange for access to China’s entertainment industry rarely ends well, amid rumors that China is seeking to lure Taiwanese K-pop star Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜). Chou, more commonly known as Tzuyu, is the only Taiwanese member of the girl group Twice. Her contract with JYP Entertainment is set to expire at the end of this year, and there have been widespread reports that she would not renew it. She is reportedly planning to pursue solo activities under her parents’ agency, Yu Hai Entertainment (瑜海娛樂), although China has also reportedly offered
A tropical depression near Hainan that was once Typhoon Saudel may once again strengthen into a tropical storm, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, but a sea warning for waters around Taiwan is unlikely. CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said that Saudel would return to being a weak tropical storm by late yesterday or early this morning. However, as the storm is to gradually weaken again and would head toward China’s Guangdong Province away from Taiwan, the chances that it would affect Taiwan enough for the CWA to issue a sea warning are relatively low,
Yielding to political pressure in exchange for access to China’s entertainment industry rarely ends well, a Straits Exchange Foundation official said yesterday amid rumors that China is seeking to lure Taiwanese K-pop star Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜). Chou, who goes by Tzuyu, is the only Taiwanese member of the girl group Twice. Her contract with JYP Entertainment is set to expire at the end of this year, and there have been widespread rumors that she would not renew it. She is reportedly planning to pursue a solo career under her parents’ agency, Yu Hai Entertainment, although China has also reportedly offered to help Tzuyu
China has revised its National Defense Mobilization Law to prepare for a rapid transition to wartime, with an official today saying the measures are aimed at helping Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) fulfill his “historic mission of national unification.” The revised version of the mobilization law is to take effect on Oct. 1, marking the first major revision since the law was enacted in 2010. The amendments define national defense mobilization as measures taken in response to threats to national sovereignty, unification, territorial integrity, security and development interests, including efforts to ensure rapid transition between peacetime and wartime and convert economic and
RSS