Taiwan's Jiji Line builds sisterhood ties with Japan's Isumi Line

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) Taiwan's Jiji Line established sisterhood ties with Japan's Isumi Line on Tuesday, the latest initiative to promote cooperation and exchanges between railway systems of the two countries, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said.

From now on, passengers holding used tickets for either one of the rail lines can ride the other's trains, TRA Director-General Chou Yung-hui said after signing a contract with Isumi Railway Co. President Akira Torizuka in Taipei.

The 29.7-kilometer Jiji Line, located in the central counties of Changhua and Nantou, is the longest branch line operated by the TRA.

The Isumi Line, located in Japan's Chiba Prefecture, spans 26.8 km.

To celebrate the establishment of sisterhood ties with the Isumi Line, the TRA on Tuesday launched a commemorative version of its Jiji one-day trip ticket that included the logos of both rail lines. A total of 1,500 tickets were available at NT$78 each.

The TRA said it will next set up sisterhood ties with Japan's Tokyu Corp. in February.

Partnerships between Taiwan and Japan's railway systems began in 2012 when the TRA's steam locomotive CK124 built sisterhood ties with Japan Rail's Hokkaido C11 steam locomotive.

In 2013, the TRA's Songshan Station became a sister station of Japan's Matsuyama Station. The names of both stations are written in the same way in Chinese -- two characters meaning "pine mountain" literally.

In April this year, the TRA's Pingxi Line in New Taipei further forged sisterhood ties with the Chokai Sanroku Line in the northern Japanese prefecture of Akita.

(By Wang Shu-fen and Y.F. Low)ENDITEM/ls