THSR 700T Taiwan

Taiwan High Speed Rail is a high speed rail line that runs approximately 345 km (214 mi) along the west coast of Taiwan, from the national capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. With construction managed by a private company, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation , which also operates the line, the total cost of the project was US$18 billion. At the time it was built, this was one of the worlds largest privately funded rail construction schemes. The system is based primarily on Japans Shinkansen technology.The line opened for service on January 5, 2007, with trains running at a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) from Taipei to Zuoying in as little as 96 minutes, reaching almost 90% of Taiwans population. Most intermediate stations on the line lie outside the cities served; however, a variety of transfer options, such as free shuttle buses, conventional rail, and metros have been constructed to facilitate transport connections.Ridership initially fell short of forecasts, but grew from fewer than 40,000 passengers per day in the first few months of operation to over 129,000 passengers per day in June 2013. The system carried its first 100 million passengers by August 2010 and over 200 million passengers had taken this system by December 2012. In the initial years of operation, THSRC accumulated debt due to high depreciation charges and interest, largely due to the financial structure set up for the private company. In 2009, THSRC negotiated with the government to change the method of depreciation form depending on concessions on rights to ridership. At the same time, the government also started to help refinance THSRCs loans to assist the company so it could remain operational and profitable.Each train consists of 1 Business Car and 11 Standard Cars (including reserved seats and nonreserved seats). Since July 2010, nonreserved seats are available in cars 10 through 12 (some trains available in cars 9 through 12). Car 7 of each train is fitted with 4 wheelchair accessible chairs and a disabled friendly restroom. Passengers can call THSRs Customer Service Hot Line at (Taiwan) 40663000 or visit any THSR station ticket window to reserve these seats. By August 2012, implementation of 4G WiMAX on board trains is expected to provide smooth wireless broadband services, making THSR the first highspeed ground transportation system equipped with this service.In 2012, THSRC rated highly in the CommonWealth Magazine