Popular among rail enthusiasts, the service of blue commuter trains terminated at the end of 2020. The train transforms into the vintage “Breezy Blue” tourism train and is outsourced to Lion Travel for exclusive railway tour packages. After 10 months of restoration, the train was officially launched on October 23. A round-trip service between Fangliao and Taitung is offered daily with the price of NT$299 per one-way trip. Tickets are sold on the Lion Travel website, and it is expected to be a big hit after the popular “Future” tourism train.
The blue commuter train is the old memory of many Taiwanese people in terms of the railway; with its blue exterior, the train painted an elegant smiling curve on the South-Link Line. TRA started the train maintenance and renovation project in March, 2020; experts on railway culture were also involved in the process of the research including its original colors, equipment and even details of the logo. The exterior color, original “romantic blue,” instead of public impression peacock blue, was used in this renovation to revert the train to its original look.
“The most difficult part of the project was not transforming the train brand new, but authentically renovating it,” said Hsieh Chin-kun, Head of Kaohsiung Workshop. To r