Following the Keikyu Electric Railway, Tobu Railway has also launched a Taiwan Color train. On December 20th, last year, Tobu concluded a Friendship and Cooperation Agreement with Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA). In accordance with the agreement, Tobu launched one set of special poster train, "Puyuma-color Ryomo", on June 17th this year.
Puyuma is one of the representative express trains in Taiwan. It is an EMU operated between Chaozhou and Taitung via Taipei. The vehicle is the TRA TEMU2000 series, built by Nippon Sharyo from 2013. Its white colored bodies with red colored stripes are very vivid. The maximum speed of the TEMU2000 series is 130 km per hour, but more importantly, it has the advanced tilting system to pass through tight curves at high speed.
Tobu's Puyuma-color Ryomo is the imitation of the TRA's Puyuma Express train. It has been modified from Set 208F of the EMU 200 series. The 200 series was launched in 2011 as Ryomo Limited Express, connecting Asakusa Terminal in Tokyo Metropolis and the northern cities in Kanto District. The modification of Set 208F was just changing its body colors, but the new appearance of Set 208F, namely Puyuma-color Ryomo, is very similar with that of the original Puyuma Express train. It is probably because both Puyuma Express and Puyuma-color Ryomo have streamlined bodies.
Puyuma-color Ryomo is popular among rail-fans. I often see them standing on the platforms to shoot this vivid limited express train. I hope that this train promotes interchange between Taiwanese and Japanese people.
Official information about the trains of Taiwan Railway Administration: