Since 2021 Hitachi Group has been delivering the EMU3000 trains to Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) which is phasing out its 30-year-old 8-car trains. The new units are 12-car trains, and a total of 50 such units, at 600 cars, will be delivered to TRA which is looking to increase passenger capacity in Taiwan. 

However, to move the trains from the manufacturer to the destination, specialised equipment had to be used. In this case, Modulift spreader beams at a span of 3.5 metres provided four lifting points underneath the trains to evenly distribute the weight.

The two spreader beams were attached to drop links and shackles at the end of each beam, with synthetic round slings below the beams, and wire rope slings above. This allowed the train to be safely lifted onto the vessel ready for transportation from Japan.

The spreader beams were disassembled, and the same configuration used to unload the train at its destination at Hualien Port in Taiwan. The train will serve the East Coast line.

Sumihide Haruta, Executive Officer and General Manager, Sales Division at Nakamura Industry, said, “The Modulift spreader beams’ adaptable design allowed our customer to safely configure the lift for the EMU3000. These beams were transported with the train, facilitating easy disassembly, shipping, and reassembly before offloading.”

Osaka-based business Nakamura Industry, a lifting gear supplier and distributor of Modulift spreader beams has played a major role in enabling the lifting operation.