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Topic: Sightseeing train turns ’problem’ Kyoto line into talk of the town

A railway here in Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture once on the verge of being defunct has a new lease on life with its slow-moving sightseeing train featuring a cafe-like interior.
（日本）京都府宮津一條曾瀕臨廢線的鐵路，憑藉內部裝潢有如咖啡館的觀光慢車，得以續命綿延。

The Tango Aka-Matsu is operated by Kyoto Tango Railway （Tantetsu）, whose lines were famously dubbed the symbol of unprofitable train routes in the Heisei Era, which started in 1989.
京都丹後鐵道（簡稱丹鐵）負責營運的「丹後赤松號」觀光列車所行駛的路線，被稱為是始於1989年平成時代的知名不賺錢路線的象徵。

The train, which connects Nishi-Maizuru and Amanohashidate stations, runs at reduced speeds offering scenic views.
這列連接西舞鶴站與天橋立站的觀光列車，以較慢速度行駛，好讓乘客能夠欣賞美景。

Passengers let out cries of delight on a weekend in December as the fully occupied 33-seat train approached Yuragawa Kyoryo bridge over the Yuragawa river.
去年12月的某個週末，當33個座位都坐滿的觀光列車駛向跨越由良川的由良川橋時，車上乘客一陣驚呼。

"It’s amazing. It’s like we are on the sea," one passenger said.
「太棒了。我們好像在海上，」一名乘客如是說。

The 550-meter-long bridge is only a few meters above the river, making passengers feel as if the train is traveling on the water.
這座550公尺長的鐵道橋，只比河面高幾公尺，讓乘客覺得火車彷彿行駛在水面上。

Next Article

Topic: Emergency bathroom run lands Japanese "bullet train" driver in hot water 煩

The famed high-speed "bullet train" in Japan got some unwanted attention from regulators last month after the driver briefly abandoned his controls to take a bathroom break — leaving the train and its 160 passengers to hurtle along the tracks at 93 miles-per-hour.
日本知名的高速「子彈列車」上月因一名司機員暫離駕駛室去上廁所而被監管人員盯上——（他）讓列車與車上160名乘客以93英里的時速奔馳於鐵軌上。

The train departed Tokyo Station at 7:33 a.m., bound for Shin-Osaka station. At 8:14, outside the city of Odawara southwest of Tokyo, the driver suffered a bout of abdominal distress.
這班前往新大阪站的列車在早上7時33分從東京站出發。8時14分來到東京西南方的小田原市外圍時，司機員感到一陣腹痛。

Instead of stopping the train to run to the bathroom, he called in the conductor to occupy the control room for three minutes, until he was able to scramble back to his post.
與其停車以便跑去上廁所，他反而找來車掌在駕駛室待3分鐘，直到他趕回與重返駕駛崗位。

"Many of our conductors are licensed to take the controls," Central Japan Railway public relations representative Ryumon Hashimoto said. "But this one wasn’t."
「我們的許多車掌有（列車）駕駛執照，」JR東海公關部的橋本龍門（譯音）說。「但這位沒有。」

Next Article

Topic: Aesthetic makeover: TRA launches new tour train

When the plans for the Taiwan Railway Administration’s (TRA) NT$79 million (US$2.6 million) 29 “Formosa Express” passenger tour carriages were revealed earlier this year, the designs were met with an avalanche of criticism. In response, TRA director Chang Cheng-yuan announced in April that the company would hold consultations on the design, and that the most vehement detractors would be invited to contribute.
台鐵局今年耗資新台幣七千九百萬元，打造二十九輛環島之星觀光列車，曝光後設計卻遭批評。台鐵局長張政源在今年四月宣布，成立台鐵美學設計諮詢審議小組，「把罵台鐵最凶的統統找來」。由設計師吳漢中為代表，齊聚各界專家，把二十九輛當中尚未施作完工的十三輛列車，邀請在國內外得過許多設計大獎的台灣設計團隊「柏成設計」，導入美學概念重新改造。

Headed by designer Han Wu, the team of consultants brought together experts from various fields, and the award-winning Taiwanese design firm J. C. Architecture was invited to undertake an aesthetic makeover, designing the 13 cars yet to be converted.
Unveiled on Friday, the newly designed TRA Tour Train sports a black and orange exterior, imparting an air of gravitas to its new look. Redundant signs distracting from the minimalist interior design were removed, and soft lighting was introduced to create a comfortable, relaxing ambience, to give passengers the impression of being in a hotel.
新設計的台鐵觀光列車上週五亮相，外觀改用尊榮感十足的黑、橘色，內裝採減法設計，去掉多餘的指標，燈光使用溫和的色溫，讓旅客有如進到飯店的舒適氛圍。

The curtains in the carriages are based on the works of Yuma Taru, an aboriginal craftswoman, employing geometric shapes suggestive of mountains, while the upholstery utilizes blues and grays, a reference to Taiwan’s oceans, rocks and mountains. The overall effect goes beyond that of a simple means of transportation, and now has more of an emotional impact.
車廂中的窗簾，是參考原住民工藝家尤瑪．達陸的作品，以幾何圖形堆疊出山脈造型；座椅顏色為藍、灰色，象徵台灣的海洋、石頭與山，讓火車不再只是生硬的交通工具，同時也富有情感。

Commenting on why black and orange were chosen for the exterior, Nora Wang, co-founder of J. C. Architecture, says that black imparts a sense of mystery and sobriety, and that old photos of TRA train carriages show that black was widely used for train exteriors in the past. The orange, meanwhile, is a reference to the Chu Kuang Express train designs. The tour train’s black and orange theme is therefore a link to railway history, reinvented from and recombining older design elements.
列車外觀使用黑、橘二色，柏成設計合夥創辦人王菱檥表示，黑色具有神秘的尊榮感，尤其觀察過往台鐵車體照片時，發現有一段時期大量採用黑色設計，因此激盪出新的想法。經典橘色則是延續莒光號原有的橘，保有車輛的歷史，將舊元素重新組合，迸出新的設計火花。

Wang’s favorite design is the bar counter area, reminiscent of a hotel reception, featuring a small lamp on the dining table, giving boarding passengers the impression they are entering a hotel. Passengers get to experience the hotel-like service, too, reclining in the train’s parlor car accompanied by friends and family, leisurely sipping coffee. The windows offer magnificent ocean views to the east and vistas of rice paddies and mountains to the west.
有如飯店接待大廳的吧台區是王菱檥最喜愛的設計，餐桌台上放了一盞小燈，當旅客踏上這輛觀光列車時，感覺就像是踏進飯店一樣。跟親朋好友坐在客廳車，悠閒喝著咖啡，從觀景窗往外望，東邊有海岸線壯闊海景，西邊則有稻穗、山脈，帶給大家有如旅館式的服務體驗。

Wang says, “The TRA train is not just a means of transportation, it is a starting point for a journey.” She hopes that the TRA Tour Train will help promote rail travel in Taiwan. Tour trains in countries such as Japan and Italy attract visitors from all over the world every year, and Wang believes Taiwan has the potential to be like this. “Taiwan’s landscape is so beautiful,” she says, and “some scenery can only be seen from the train.”
王菱檥說：「台鐵不只是交通工具，而是旅遊的起始點。」她希望未來可帶動民眾搭乘火車在島內旅遊的風氣，放眼各國的觀光列車如日本、義大利等，每年吸引全球民眾到訪，「相信台灣有這方面的潛力，台灣景觀太美了，有些景色只有坐火車才看得到」。
Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/12/17/2003727649/2

Next Article

Topic: The hydrogen, or hydrail, train is set to run in Lower Saxony starting in December 2017.

The train - called the "Coradia iLint" - has been developed over the past two years by French company Alstom.
這種火車稱為「柯納狄亞」，由法國「阿斯頓」公司耗時2年開發。

The hydrogen train operates using a hydrogen fuel tank, stored on the roof of the train, that in turn powers a fuel cell to produce electrical energy. This technology provides a new environmentally friendly alternative to the diesel trains that are still used across much of Germany.
這種氫動力火車的動力來自位於車頂的氫氣箱，可驅動燃料電池產生電力。這項技術為德國許多地區仍在使用的柴油火車提供新的環保替代選擇。

Engineers have been developing ‘hydrail’ technology for the last 15 years, but mostly with freight trains.
工程師研發氫動力火車技術已有15年之久，但主要用途多限於貨運。

The new Alstom train will be the first hydrogen passenger train to regularly operate on long-distance journeys.
阿斯頓公司的新火車將是第一種固定長途行駛的氫動力客運火車。

With a full tank, the new locomotive will be able to travel 600 to 800 kilometers.
一旦氫氣箱滿載，這種新式火車頭將可行駛600至800公里。

Because of its much larger fuel capacity, the train does not have to confront the same problems that hydro-cars face with refueling. Another advantage is its quietness： even at its top speed of 140 km/h, the only noise is that produced by the motion of the wheels and air resistance.
由於具備更大燃料儲載，氫動力火車可免於以往氫氣車輛必須經常充電的老問題。另外一個優點則是安靜：即便是以每小時140公里的極速行駛，也只有車輪運動與空氣阻力產生的噪音。
Source article: http://iservice.ltn.com.tw/Service/english/english.php?engno=1038108&day=2016-10-03 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1322516 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1452760;

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