E1000 series

The E1000 locomotive, commonly known as the PP Tze-chiang, is a series of electric push-pull trains used by the Taiwan Railway, operated as part of the Tze-chiang limited express service. The locomotives were built by Union Carriage and Wagon and GEC-Alsthom, while the passenger cars were built by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai Precision and Industries and Tang Eng Iron Works. The series was built to replace the EMU100 series: in 1994 the Taiwan Railway Administration agreed with Hyundai to build 64 locomotives and 400 passenger cars, the first arrived in April 1996 and passenger services began on 26 September of that year. The trains were the first to use a streamlined design, but suffered frequent traction motor failures and insufficient power delivery from poor maintenance, often needing a third locomotive as backup, and the multitude of problems earned them the derisive nickname Beggar Gang Train. By 2010 remedial work on the locomotives under the supervision of Alstom had improved reliability.