Taiwan Railways goes green: North Lake Station to open tomorrow, saving NT$650,000 in electricity costs annually

Text by / MOOK Travel Life Network, Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

The Taiwan Railways North Lake Station (China University of Technology), which took about two years to build at a cost of NT$328 million, will hold an inauguration ceremony at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow (the 28th). A limited edition of 5,000 sets of commemorative platform tickets will also be sold on-site, along with railway merchandise displays. The station features a fully enclosed solar roof, generating approximately 50,900 kWh of electricity annually and saving around NT$650,000 in power costs. In addition to promoting green energy-saving measures, it provides passengers with a comfortable, healthy, and environmentally friendly travel environment.

Unlike typical urban train stations, North Lake Station features a lightweight tree-like structure that mimics the shade of waiting spaces under trees, transformed into the pillars of the platform canopy, creating a new style of station that is "energy-efficient," "open," and "lightweight." Both northbound and southbound local trains of Taiwan Railways stop at North Lake Station, with a total of 124 trains stopping daily. The station’s surrounding plaza has ample parking spaces for cars, motorcycles, and bicycles, facilitating transfers for passengers.

Another eco-friendly design by Taiwan Railways is the DIY life-sized Taiwan Railways samurai, which made its first appearance on Railway Day, June 9 this year. The samurai costume consists of 47 components, all made from recycled Styrofoam and cardboard. It takes two production staff 40 minutes to fully assemble the costume. To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, Taiwan Railways Xinzuoying Station will deploy the samurai for its first duty tomorrow from 15:30 to 17:00, providing mobile services in the station’s passenger hall.

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