TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Large crowds were on hand to witness Taiwan Railway’s inauguration of a new generation of electric locomotives, Toshiba’s E500, which departed Qidu Station in Keelung on Monday (Sept. 30).

The new locomotive is part of the railway’s 10-year plan to replace approximately 100 existing locomotives. Most of the new locomotives (68) will be the E500, which will help the railway improve punctuality.

The remaining locomotives will be specially designated for freight, military transport, and repair work requiring more power. For this reason, the R200 diesel-electric locomotive, designed by Switzerland’s Stadler Rail, has been chosen for the railway’s upgrade plan, per CNA.

The E500 will go into service for Ziqiang (自強) and Chuguang (莒光) class trains, mainly operating express services over longer distances. According to a Taiwan Railways press release, the new E500 locomotive underwent third-party verification and certification by Germany’s DEKRA.

Taiwan Railway Corp General Manager Feng Hui-sheng (馮輝昇) said the E500 will gradually replace older GE and E1000 locomotives. Feng said the locomotive’s power is comparable to the acceleration performance of electric multiple units (EMUs), which are self-propelled carriages that use electricity and do not rely upon a locomotive.

EMUs are typically deployed on commuter or suburban railways. Feng said the railway has already upgraded this segment of its trains with the EMU900 (520 carriages) and EMU3000 (600 carriages), which are already in operation.

Feng said the public is now benefitting from the Taiwan Railway upgrade, which has led to improved punctuality, greater comfort, and convenience.