The Taiwan Railways Administration’s new sightseeing trains are about to enter service. The Future Express will have its soft launch this year on Dec. 31, departing from Taipei and Taichung for a stop to see the sunrise in Taitung County. These new trains are 70-year-old railcars spruced up to offer recreational space and dining. Lion Travel, which has exclusive rights to run tours on the trains, says Future Express will generate some NT$500 million revenue in a year.
The Future Express wears the black-and-orange exterior of the Chu-kuang Express with a modern, fresh interior. Through a public tender, Lion Travel won exclusive operating rights for the sightseeing train, which will debut on New Year’s Eve.
Andy Yu
Lion Travel president
We’re looking into sending out two Future Express trains from Taipei and Taichung. They will arrive at Taitung’s Taimali on Dec. 31, so that passengers can welcome the first light of 2021 at 6:36 a.m. Each train can seat 50 to 280 people. Based on the passenger volume needed by the client, we’ll make special car arrangements. This tour is very suitable for company outings.
For their maiden tour, the trains will depart from Taipei and Taichung and pass through Taitung. The two-day tour will cost about NT$30,000 a head. Then on Jan. 24, the trains will embark on a five-day round-the-island adventure, with a price tag of NT$10,000 a night. In April, trips featuring Michelin-starred cuisine will start at NT$20,000 a day. Amid the pandemic, Lion Travel is viewing domestic tourism as one way forward.
Andy Yu
Lion Travel president
We’re estimating that Future Express will bring us some NT$500 million in revenue in a year. This tour project can be said our biggest move in domestic tourism since the start of the pandemic.
Local
I would like to go. To try out the rail car.
Local
I’d sooner spend the money on staying in a hotel. When you can’t go abroad, you can visit an outlying island.
These vacations by rail are aimed at high spenders, and not all locals are impressed. But due to border restrictions, there are few other options out there. Ahead of the 2022 “Year of Railway Tourism,” the transport ministry is launching new trains to revolutionize the concept of train travel.
