By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — Swiss train manufacturer Stadler has presented a full-size mock-up of the driverless metro trains it is building for Kaohsiung’s future Yellow Line.
The trains will be Stadler’s first metro vehicles to enter service in Asia, according to Railway Gazette International, which first reported the unveiling.
Kaohsiung’s Mass Rapid Transit Bureau has ordered 25 three-car trainsets under a wider NT$43 billion contract covering rolling stock and railway systems. The contract was awarded in 2022 to a consortium of Singapore’s ST Engineering, Stadler and Siemens Mobility.
Stadler is manufacturing the trains at its plant in St. Margrethen, Switzerland. Siemens is supplying the line’s communications-based train-control signaling system, which will allow unattended, fully automated operation.
The lightweight aluminum trains are designed for Kaohsiung’s climate, including temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius and humidity of up to 100%, Railway Gazette reported.
The Yellow Line is planned as an almost 30-kilometer, Y-shaped metro route with one elevated station and 22 underground stations. It will connect parts of the city not currently served by the Red and Orange lines.
The trains are scheduled for delivery in 2028. However, the railway publication reported that the project has moved beyond its original 2028 opening target. Recent planning documents indicate that the line may instead begin opening in stages between 2032 and 2034.
Source: Railway Gazette International
