Taipei Metro C371
The Taipei Metro C371 is the fourth generation of heavy-capacity rolling stock used on the Taipei Metro in Taipei, Taiwan. Built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Taiwan Rolling Stock Company between 2005 and 2009, it was introduced on the Xindian and Zhonghe Lines in 2006 and on the Xinbeitou and Xiaobitan branch lines in 2007. History. In 2003, the Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) of Taipei ordered 321 subway cars from Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Among these vehicles, 144 of them was to be used on the then-upcoming Luzhou and Xinzhuang Sections of the Zhonghe -Xinlu line whereas the remaining 177 cars were to increase the capacity of the existing network. As part of the Industrial Cooperation Program mandated by the Taiwanese government, the first half of trains were built by Kawasaki at its rolling stock plant in Hyōgo whereas the other half was to be built domestically by the Taiwan Rolling Stock Company (TRSC). The C371 trains were built in two different batches: In 2006, the first C371 trainset was introduced into service on the Xiaonanmen Line (the CKS Memorial Hall-Ximen segment of the Songshan-Xindian line). Deliveries of the trains continued until  June 2009. Overview. The C371 retains a largely similar design seen on the C301, C321 and C341. Unlike its earlier counterparts however, the C371 had several differences as it follows: Set 399. In 2009, Kawasaki also supplied a 3-car set numbered by DORTS as 399 for the Xinbeitou branch line. Set 399 notably stands out among the other C371 trainsets as it is designed as a concept advertisement train to promote the hot springs in Xinbeitou. While sharing the same technical specifications with the other C371 trainsets, set 399 has a multi-colour livery and features a unique interior  design with the theme of onsen in mind. Fleet numbering. A complete six-car trainset consists of an identical twin set of one driving motor car (DM1), one trailer car (T) and one intermediate motor car (M2) permanently coupled together. The configuration of a six-car C371 trainset in revenue service is DM1–T–M2–M2–T–DM1 whereas that for a three-car trainset is DM-T-DM. Each car is assigned its own four-digit serial number, which ranges from x301 to x338 (1st batch; 6-car sets), x397 to x399 (3-car sets for branch lines), and  x401 to x466 (2nd batch; 6-car sets). Derivatives. The Taipei Metro C381 was developed directly from the C371 and used for both the Tamsui-Xinyi line and the Songshan-Xindian line. The Taoyuan Airport MRT train sets also utilizes trains based on the C371, for both the commuter and express services. References. This article incorporates information from the corresponding articles on the and Wikipedia's. External links. Technical Specs (TRSC)