The EMU700 is a series of

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

train used by the

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight Rail transport, railway services on of track. Pa ...

. The TRA purchased 160 cars of the series. It was constructed by

Nippon Sharyo , formed in 1896, is a major rolling stock, Heavy equipment, heavy equipment, Diesel generator, generator, Special-purpose entity, special purpose vehicle and bridge manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its ...

and Taiwan Rolling Stock Company and began operations on 20 November 2007. The EMU700 adopts current rules of Taiwan Railway Administration known as RAMS: Reliability; Availability; Maintainability; System Safety. This train series operates as "Local Train" and "Local Express", using the pricing of NT$1.46 per km and person fare system identical to the Fuhsing Semi Express. Sometimes during the holidays it operates as "non-reserved " through train. The EMU700 is nicknamed the "Suneo train" (阿福號) due to the resemblance of its front cab design with that of the character Suneo Honekawa from the Japanese manga and anime series

Doraemon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. First serialized in 1969, the manga's chapters were collected in 45 volumes published by Shogakukan from 1974 to 1996. The story revolves around an earless robotic ...

. A lunchbox counter designed in the style of the EMU700 front cab also exists at Platform 2 of Shulin Station in

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

since July 2009.

Design

The EMU700 has distinctive hinged nose cone unlike its predecessors in the EMU line with smooth fronts. On May 12, 2016, the livery of sets 701 and 702 was changed to the vermillion red with white stripe

Keikyu (), also known as or, more recently, , is a private railroad that connects inner Tokyo to Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka and other points on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. It also provides rail access to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. ...

livery similar to those found on the Keikyu 800 series trains.

Features

Its interior features informational LEDs, similar to the cars of the

Taipei Metro Taipei Metro (also known as Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei) is a rapid transit system operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan. It was the first rapi ...

. It has an onboard broadcasting system that is able to play a note sound upon arrival to a station and when the doors open and close. It also contains a lighting system, an emergency call device, and a cabin that are improved from its predecessors. The maximum speed of the EMU700 is .

Derivative

The new EMU800 train sets were developed from the EMU700 to replace the ageing EMU400 trains and supplement the existing fleet of TRA's local class trains.

References

{{Taiwanloco Electric multiple units of Taiwan 25 kV AC multiple units Nippon Sharyo multiple units Train-related introductions in 2007