
The DR2800 series is a series of
diesel multiple unit train
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
s operated by the
Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight Rail transport, railway services on of track. Pa ...
as
Tze-chiang limited express
Tze-Chiang (), also Tzu-chiang or Ziqiang, is a type of limited express train service operated by Taiwan Railway (TR). Of the five service classes operated by TR, the Tze-Chiang service is the fastest. Ticketing is done on the basis of mileage ( ...
on non-electrified mainlines. They were originally built by
Tokyu Car Corporation
is a manufacturer of heavy rail cars in Japan, formerly known as . The company is based in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, and a member of East Japan Railway Company (JR East) group. J-TREC manufactures rail vehicles not only for JR East and Tokyu Corpo ...
of Japan in 1982 for the
Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight Rail transport, railway services on of track. Pa ...
to provide better service on the eastern mainline of Taiwan.
In early 1980s, the
North-link line was completed, the
Yilan line was expanded to double track, and the gauge of
Taitung line was changed to 1067 mm. In response to the demand for air-conditioned express trains in eastern Taiwan,
Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight Rail transport, railway services on of track. Pa ...
ordered 10 sets of
diesel multiple unit trains from
Tokyu Car
is a manufacturer of heavy rail cars in Japan, formerly known as . The company is based in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, and a member of East Japan Railway Company (JR East) group. J-TREC manufactures rail vehicles not only for JR East and Tokyu Corpo ...
. These train sets were heavily specialized under license from Budd, and each set consists of 2 power driving cars and a trailer. Each power driving car (designated as DR2800s) was equipped with a Cummins NT855-R4 diesel engine producing to move the train. The trailer (designated as DR2850s) has a diesel engine to provide head-end power for the entire three-car set. Each power driving car only has a cab at one end and two power driving cars bracket a trailer in a standard set. To prevent dependency on the trailer's engine for cooling, the cooling fans of the driver cars are driven hydraulically instead of electrically. Besides, the DR2800 series is the first series of diesel railcars of
Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight Rail transport, railway services on of track. Pa ...
equipped with bogies containing air suspension.
The DR2800 series operated as
Tze-chiang limited express
Tze-Chiang (), also Tzu-chiang or Ziqiang, is a type of limited express train service operated by Taiwan Railway (TR). Of the five service classes operated by TR, the Tze-Chiang service is the fastest. Ticketing is done on the basis of mileage ( ...
between Taipei and Hualien on June 1, 1982. With a top speed of and air-conditioning, the demand was so high that
Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight Rail transport, railway services on of track. Pa ...
ordered another 5 sets (15 cars) in 1984.

The interior was refurbished between 2001 and 2002. The original Cummins NT855R-4 diesel engines were replaced by Cummins NTA855-R1 in 2002 and 2003, and the total output of a set increased to .
DR2800 series mainly operated as
Tze-chiang limited express
Tze-Chiang (), also Tzu-chiang or Ziqiang, is a type of limited express train service operated by Taiwan Railway (TR). Of the five service classes operated by TR, the Tze-Chiang service is the fastest. Ticketing is done on the basis of mileage ( ...
on the eastern mainline (including
Yilan line,
North-link line, and
Taitung line) and
South-link line. In 1991 it even ran on the west line to provide more seats during Chinese New Year. As of February 2025, only one DR2800 series is in service operating as TRA track evaluation train.
Notes
References
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External links
{{Taiwanloco
Tokyu Car multiple units
Diesel multiple units of Taiwan
Train-related introductions in 1982