Taiwan train design one of winners at Japan's Good Design Award

Taipei, Oct. 11 (CNA) A refurbished train design commissioned by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was one of the winners at the 2020 Good Design Award, the first time a Taiwanese train has ever been honored for its design, the TRA said in a statement Saturday.

The re-design of the 70-year-old train was carried out by the Taiwanese firm J.C. Architecture, with the theme of "autumnal winds," the TRA said.

The train's interior, which has wooden flooring and blue and white seats, seeks to complement the scenery outside through its warm, natural and comfortable design, said the TRA.

Its black and orange exterior, meanwhile, hearkens back to an older era of Taiwanese trains, when many of the train designs used black as a prominent color feature, according to J.C. Architecture founder Johnny Chiu (邱柏文).

Although the train is not currently in operation, it will be used for special "cruise-like railway tours" around Taiwan as early as January next year, according to the TRA.

The TRA plans to begin talks with travel agencies in mid-October to determine which company will operate the tours, TRA official Chen Wen-chuan (陳文川) told CNA Sunday.

Organized by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, the Good Design Award is regarded as one of the top distinctions of its kind. Of the 4,769 submissions this year, 1,395 selected were selected as winners, including 61 from Taiwan, according to its website.