Localized Railway Parts and Maintenance Sees Results Under THSR

The Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corporation (THSR) has sought to localize rail parts production, reporting substantial results in recent years, according to local media on Tuesday.

Much of Taiwan's railroad industry has relied on importing parts. THSR's initiative would help lower procurement and import costs by keeping production and procurement within Taiwan.

THSR reported a successful collaboration with the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology and Chung Tai Rubber to develop indigenous parts and equipment like passenger car airboxes, passenger car movement automatic inspection systems, and cowling. The partnership saw the products' mass production in January and April, replacing traditional parts ordered from Japan, lowering costs, and improving maintenance efficiency.

In another partnership with Delta Electronics and Syscom Group that created the "THSR Passenger Information System," THSR first launched it at the Taoyuan Station and would expand to other stations to provide more detail and transparency travel information.

Through promoting localized maintenance materials and technologies, THSR was able to lower procurement costs and provide faster lead time without waiting for materials to arrive, reports say. The company's data indicated internal maintenance had reached 90%. Until the end of October, THSR has also worked with 117 firms in Taiwan, leading to the development, production, and manufacturing of 1,056 parts and functional products.