TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Work started Wednesday on a second maintenance depot for the high-speed rail system in Kaohsiung as the company prepared to receive new trains from Japan in August.

The site is in Zuoying District. Extensions are planned to Yilan in the north and to Pingtung in the south from Kaohsiung.

Once the second depot is completed, the system’s capacity to repair and maintain trains will greatly improve, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said at a ceremony Wednesday. 

The extra capacity will be needed after the first of 12 new N700ST train sets ordered from the Hitachi Toshiba Supreme Consortium in Japan arrive in August, per CNA. The trains are scheduled to start operating in 2027, helping peak hour capacity to increase 25%.

Chen also emphasized that the new depot has received a green building certification. The move will ensure an upgrade for the city’s participation in the transportation industry, the mayor said.