Hyundai Rotem lands $301 mn Taiwan driverless train deal

Hyundai Rotem Co. has won a 420 billion won ($301 million) order to build autonomous electric trains for Taiwan’s Taichung Metro, adding to a string of multitrillion-won railway orders bagged this year as the South Korean firm expands its global footprint.

Under the deal with the city government of Taichung, Taiwan's second-largest city with a population of about 2.8 million, Hyundai Rotem will supply fully automated trains powered by its latest lidar, camera and artificial intelligence technologies.

A single three-car trainset will carry up to 530 passengers at a maximum operating speed of 80 kilometers per hour. It will use lightweight aluminum bodies to increase durability while reducing vehicle weight, thus improving energy efficiency.

The latest contract follows Hyundai Rotem’s slew of rolling stock deals in Taiwan, including trains for Kaohsiung Metro’s Red Line, Taipei Metro and Taoyuan Metro, in previous years.

Under the latest term, new trains will be offered for Taichung Metro’s blue line, the second of four planned metro lines in the city, spanning 24.78 kilometers with 20 stations. The city is adding rapid transit lines to improve commutes for local office workers and students.

The Taiwan deal has added to Hyundai Rotem’s already fat locomotive order backlog for this year alone.

In February, the rolling stock and defense manufacturer under Hyundai Motor Group won a 2.2 trillion won deal from Morocco’s national railway operator.

That was followed by a 581.1 billion won train contract for Korea’s metropolitan express railway project in March and a 144.2 billion won order from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the US a month later.

Hyundai Rotem shares ended up 2.3% at 113,900 won on Friday.

Write to Bo-Hyung Kim at kph21c@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.