The Taipei Metro C371 is the fourth generation of heavy-capacity
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...
used on the
Taipei Metro
Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), branded as Metro Taipei, is a rapid transit system serving the areas of Taipei and New Taipei City, New Taipei in Taiwan, operated by the State-owned enterprise, government-owned Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation ...
in
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
, Taiwan. Built by
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
(or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...
and
Taiwan Rolling Stock Company
Taiwan Rolling Stock Company (TRSC) is a rail vehicle company. TRSC is located in Hukou, Hsinchu County, near Xinfeng railway station. It was previously a rolling stock production division of Tang Eng Iron Works before 2002. After privatizatio ...
between 2005 and 2009, it was introduced on the
Xindian and
Zhonghe Lines in 2006 and on the
Xinbeitou and
Xiaobitan branch line
The Taipei Metro Xiaobitan Branch Line is a high-capacity, elevated branch line of the Songshan–Xindian line
The Songshan–Xindian or Green line (code G) is a metro line in Taipei operated by Taipei Metro, named after the districts it connect ...
s in 2007.
History
![TPE-DORTS barcode tag and Kawasaki-TRSC plate in C371](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/TPE-DORTS_barcode_tag_and_Kawasaki-TRSC_plate_in_C371.jpg)
In 2003, the Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) of Taipei ordered 321 subway cars from Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Among these vehicles, 144 of them was to be used on the then-upcoming Luzhou and Xinzhuang Sections of the
Zhonghe–Xinlu line
The Zhonghe–Xinlu or Orange line (code O) is a metro line in Taipei operated by the Taipei Metro, named after the districts it connects: Zhonghe, Xinzhuang and Luzhou. The line starts at in Zhonghe, passes through central Taipei, then splits ...
whereas the remaining 177 cars were to increase the capacity of the existing network. As part of the Industrial Cooperation Program mandated by the
Taiwanese government, the first half of trains were built by Kawasaki at its rolling stock plant in
Hyōgo whereas the other half was to be built domestically by the
Taiwan Rolling Stock Company
Taiwan Rolling Stock Company (TRSC) is a rail vehicle company. TRSC is located in Hukou, Hsinchu County, near Xinfeng railway station. It was previously a rolling stock production division of Tang Eng Iron Works before 2002. After privatizatio ...
(TRSC).
The C371 trains were built in two different batches:
*The first batch of trains (numbered in the 300-series; built from 2005-2007) were completely built-up by Kawasaki in Japan and were part of contracts TA001 (the main batch), CH321A (a 3-car set for the
Xiaobitan branch line
The Taipei Metro Xiaobitan Branch Line is a high-capacity, elevated branch line of the Songshan–Xindian line
The Songshan–Xindian or Green line (code G) is a metro line in Taipei operated by Taipei Metro, named after the districts it connect ...
) and CE361 for the Nangang section eastern extension of the
Bannan line
The Bannan or Blue line (code BL) is a metro line of Taipei Metro in Taipei, Taiwan, with a total of 23 stations serving the districts of Nangang, Xinyi, Daan, Zhongshan, Wanhua, Banqiao and Tucheng. The line's name is a portmanteau of Banq ...
.
*The second batch of trains (numbered in the 400-series; built from 2008 to 2009) were built specifically for the
Zhonghe–Xinlu line
The Zhonghe–Xinlu or Orange line (code O) is a metro line in Taipei operated by the Taipei Metro, named after the districts it connects: Zhonghe, Xinzhuang and Luzhou. The line starts at in Zhonghe, passes through central Taipei, then splits ...
and were part of contracts CE601 (for the Luzhou section) and CK371 (for the Xinzhuang section). Sets 419 to 430 were built by Kawasaki whereas the remainder were assembled from complete knock-down (CKD) kits imported from
Nippon Sharyo
, formed in 1896, is a major rolling stock manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its name to "日本車両" Nippon Sharyō. Its shortest abbreviation is Nissha "日車". It was a listed company on Nikkei 225 until 2 ...
by TRSC.
In 2006, the first C371 trainset was introduced into service on the Xiaonanmen Line (the
CKS Memorial Hall-
Ximen
Ximen () is a Chinese compound surname. Ximen literally means "west gate", the origination story says that there was a noble family in Zheng or Qi state live near the west gate, so the descents took Ximen (west gate) as their family name. As co ...
segment of the
Songshan–Xindian line
The Songshan–Xindian or Green line (code G) is a metro line in Taipei operated by Taipei Metro, named after the districts it connects: Songshan and Xindian. Parts of the line runs under the Roosevelt Road, following the route of the former Xi ...
). Deliveries of the trains continued until June 2009.
Overview
![C371 3301 emergency intercom](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/C371_3301_emergency_intercom.jpg)
The C371 retains a largely similar design seen on the
C301,
C321 and
C341. Unlike its earlier counterparts however, the C371 had several differences as it follows:
*The C371, along with the
C381, uses a quieter IGBT–VVVF inverter control as compared to earlier train types, in this case from Mitsubishi Electric.
*The end cars now feature completely longitudinal seating instead of transverse seating traditionally used on Taipei MRT trains.
*The passenger doors now use electric door actuators instead of pneumatic ones.
*Security cameras were already installed on board the trains when new.
*Priority seats now take on a darker shade of blue.
*Taillights are now LED.
*An additional chime is added when the doors open.
*The front LED destination display now uses a larger font and is brighter to improve visibility.
*The driving console includes a train supervising information system (TSIS) to assist driving and maintenance.
*Bicycle storage spaces are fitted in the interior.
*The second batch trains use a different design of emergency communication button from the first batch.
Set 399
In 2009, Kawasaki also supplied a 3-car set numbered by DORTS as 399 for the
Xinbeitou branch line. Set 399 notably stands out among the other C371 trainsets as it is designed as a concept advertisement train to promote the hot springs in
Xinbeitou. While sharing the same technical specifications with the other C371 trainsets, set 399 has a multi-colour livery and features a unique interior design with the theme of onsen in mind.
Fleet numbering
A complete six-car trainset consists of an identical twin set of one driving motor car (DM1), one trailer car (T) and one intermediate motor car (M2) permanently coupled together.
The configuration of a 6-car C371 set in revenue service is DM1–T–M2+M2–T–DM1 whereas that for a 3-car set is DM1–T–DM2.
Each car is assigned its own four-digit serial number, which ranges from x301 to x338 (1st batch; 6-car sets), x397 to x399 (3-car sets for branch lines), and x401 to x466 (2nd batch; 6-car sets).
* The first digit (the 'x' above) indicates the position of the car. Hence, DM1 cars use the number x=1, T cars x=2, and M2 cars x=3
* The other three digits are the identification number of the train the car is part of. A full-length train of six cars consists of two identification numbers, one for the first three cars, and another for the second three. The bigger number is always equal to the smaller number plus one, and the smaller number is always an odd number. For example, a train of six cars would have serial numbers 1301, 2301, 3301, 3302, 2302, and 1302, respectively.
Derivatives
The
Taipei Metro C381
The Taipei Metro C381 is the fifth and the latest generation of heavy-capacity electric multiple units on the Taipei Metro in Taipei, Taiwan. They are designed to increase the capacity of the expanded network with the opening of the Xinyi and ...
was developed directly from the C371 and used for both the
Tamsui–Xinyi line
Tamsui District (Hokkien POJ: ''Tām-chúi''; Hokkien Tâi-lô: ''Tām-tsuí''; Mandarin Pinyin: ''Dànshuǐ'') is a seaside district in New Taipei, Taiwan. It is named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water". The town is popul ...
and the
Songshan–Xindian line
The Songshan–Xindian or Green line (code G) is a metro line in Taipei operated by Taipei Metro, named after the districts it connects: Songshan and Xindian. Parts of the line runs under the Roosevelt Road, following the route of the former Xi ...
. The
Taoyuan Airport MRT
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), commonly known as the Airport MRT, is a rapid transit line of Taoyuan Metro that connects the municipalities of Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan with Taoyuan International Airport. T ...
train sets also utilizes trains based on the C371, for both the
commuter and
express
Express or EXPRESS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* '' Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn
* '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid
Music
* ''Express'' ...
services.
See also
*
Taipei Metro VAL256
The Taipei Metro VAL 256 is the first generation of automated guideway transit rolling stock to be used on the Wenhu line, Wenhu (Brown) line of Taipei Metro.
A total of 51 2-car train sets were built by Alstom, GEC Alsthom from 1989 to 1993, fo ...
*
Taipei Metro C301
The Taipei Metro C301 is the first generation of heavy-capacity electric multiple units on the Taipei Metro. Built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Union Rail Car Partnership between 1992 and 1994, it was introduced on the Tamsui line in 1997.
H ...
*
Taipei Metro C321
The Taipei Metro C321 is the second generation of heavy-capacity rolling stock used on the Taipei Metro in Taipei, Taiwan. Built by Siemens Mobility in Germany, it was introduced on the Bannan line in 1999.
History
Siemens won a contract to build ...
*
Taipei Metro C341
The Taipei Metro C341 is the third generation of electric multiple units on the Taipei Metro in Taipei, Taiwan. Built by Siemens Mobility in Austria, it was introduced on the Bannan line in 2004.
History
The C341 stands out among other Taipei M ...
*
Taipei Metro BT370
*
Taipei Metro C381
The Taipei Metro C381 is the fifth and the latest generation of heavy-capacity electric multiple units on the Taipei Metro in Taipei, Taiwan. They are designed to increase the capacity of the expanded network with the opening of the Xinyi and ...
Notes
References
This article incorporates information from the corresponding articles on the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
and
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
Wikipedia's.
External links
Technical Specs(TRSC)
{{Rapid Transit and Light Rail Rolling Stock in Taiwan
Electric multiple units of Taiwan
Taipei Metro
750 V DC multiple units
Kawasaki multiple units