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SEEING THE SIGHTS BY RAIL
Taiwan's railways offer an endless variety of experience,
and the scenery lining their routes provides an infinite range of
fascinating scenery. If you want to get a close look at the island's
beauties without having to suffer the problems of unfamiliar roads and
the frustrations of traffic congestion, then you could do no better
than choose a railroad tour and immerse yourself in the delights of
enchanting coastlines, awesome mountains, placid farmlands, and
engrossing countryside.
The history of railroads in Taiwan dates back to 1887, in the
declining years of the Qing Dynasty, when court official Liu
Ming-chuan started work on a section of track in the northern part of
the island. The Japanese expanded on that beginning when they occupied
Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, and the round-the-island network was
completed after the island was restored to Chinese rule. Today, more
than a century after its small beginning, Taiwan's convenient railway
network consists of the West Coast Trunk Railway, East Coast Trunk
Railway, North-Link Railway, and South-Link Railway. Passenger service
is divided into four classes, offering travelers a choice depending on
their destination, the urgency of their trip, and the size of their
pocketbooks.
The scenery along the railroad glides by in a never-ending sequence of
change, and each line has its own unique characteristics. The long,
narrow, mountainous nature of the island's terrain lines the length of
the railways with exquisite scenes of mountains and rivers, and the
rail passenger gains access to scenes that are out of reach of the
highway. Taiwan's railroads are far more than just a tool of
transportation; they embody a deep affinity with the development of
local culture and society, and have left behind large numbers of
historic relics, including old stations and track sections that hark
back to the past and reveal unique facets of local history.
Following is a brief description of the characteristics of travel on
Taiwan's trunk railway lines :
West Coast Trunk Line system: This includes the Keelung to Kaohsiung
north-south line, the Taichung Line (Zhunan to Changhua), Pingtung
Line (Kaohsiung to Fangliao), and South-Link Railway (Fangliao to
Taitung New Station).
(1) Main Line, Taichung Line, Pingtung Line: The main cities served by
this system include, north to south, Keelung, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu,
Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and
Pingtung. Each of these cities has its own local customs and natural
scenery, and itineraries through them are quite diverse. Travelers can
arrange tours of the Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung metropolitan
areas, they can savor the famous delicacies of Miaokou (Temple Mouth)
in Keelung, see the fascinating City God Temple in Hsinchu, taste the
snacks of Danshui and the seafood of Pingtung, enjoy the pottery of
Yingge and the wood-carving culture of Sanyi, and observe the historic
sites of Sanxia and Tainan. They can also choose a tour through the
countryside of Chiayi, or go bird-watching at the estuary of the Keya
River in Hsinchu or the Zengwen River in Tainan.
(2) South-Link Railway: This is the only railway line in Taiwan that
gives you access to both the Taiwan Straits and the Pacific Ocean.
Passing through the southernmost extremity of the Central Mountain
Range, it links Pingtung in the west with Taitung in the east, along
the way allowing passengers to enjoy views of the beautiful Pacific,
the awesome natural sights of the mountains, and the lovely
mountain-and-sea views as well as the aborigine cultures of
southeastern Taiwan. Among the most famous sights of this route are
the daylily fields of Taimali, the hot springs of Zhiben, the
Bamboo-Pole Festival of the Atayals, and the vast expanses of the
Pacific.
EAST COAST TRUNK LINE SYSTEM :
This system encompasses the Yilan Line which reaches from Badu to Suao,
the North-Link Railway which runs from Suao to Hualien, and the
Hualien-Taitung Line, which together form a complete system that
serves all of eastern Taiwan and displays the attractions of Yilan,
Hualien, and Taitung. Trains run along the seacoast, with the high
mountains on one side and the vast ocean on the other providing the
most intoxicating scenery on this part of the round-the-island
railway. Travel these lines and you will experience the permutations
and changes of natural beauty; after passing though the flat vastness
of the Lanyang Plain, and enjoying the bucolic flatlands and the
distant sight of Turtle Island along the way, you will pass through
Suao and the scenery outside your window will undergo a drastic change
as majestic sights of mountain and sea appear before your eyes.
Tourist sites along the way include the Northeast Coast National
Scenic Area, the Lanyang Plain, Turtle Island, the East Coast National
Scenic Area, the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area, Taroko
National Park, and Taroko Gorge with its Swallows' Grottos, Tunnel of
Nine Turns, Bulowan, Cuilu Precipice, Tianxiang, and the Liwu River.
Besides enjoying the stupendous masterworks of nature's art, travelers
here can also arrange itineraries that allow them to experience
aborigine culture, bird watching, hot springs, rustic old towns, and
other special sites of the area.
In addition, there are also slow trains that run along narrow-gauge
railways: the Alishan Forest Line, Jiji Line, Pingxi Line, and Neiwan
Line. For those who have just come to Taiwan, riding on this kind of
tourist train that proceeds at a leisurely pace and allows passengers
to enjoy the scenery along the way to the utmost can provide a new and
interesting experience.
PINGXI LINE :
This line runs through Pingxi Township in Taipei County, and can be
boarded at the Ruifang Station or Houdong Station on the main railway
line. Travelers in this branch line can savor the beauties of mountain
cliffs, streams, and waterfalls along the way, and experience the
rustic lifestyle of country villages and small mining towns. The main
scenic spots along the line are the Shifen Waterfall, Wildman Valley
Waterfalls, and Lingjiao Waterfall.
NEIWAN LINE :
This line is located in the easternmost part of Hengshan Township in
Hsinchu County. You can board trains on this branch line at the
Hsinchu Railway Station; as your train moves slowly along the track,
passengers can gain a feeling of the rustic life in mountain towns.
The main scenic spots along the line include the Beipu Scenic Area and
the Wuzhishan (Five-Fingers Mountain) Scenic Area.
JIJI LINE :
This line passes through bucolic scenery in Changhua and Nantou
countries, giving access to "green tunnels," historic sites, rivers,
old pottery kilns, and the little town of Jiji. A ride along the Jiji
Line is like a trip into the past.
ALISHAN FOREST LINE :
This is one of only three alpine railways that are left in
the world. It carries passengers through four climatic
zones--tropical, subtropical, temperate, and frigid--and each section
of the line passes by truly unique scenery. It also allows you to
experience a "corkscrew" ride as it winds its way up one of the
mountains along its line; it ends up at the Alishan National Scenic
Area, where you can see the spectacular sunrise, sea of clouds, sacred
tree, flower season, and mountain pathways.
If you want to travel the complete length of Taiwan's railway system,
you can purchase round-the-island tickets from the Taiwan Railway
Administration. These seven separate tickets allow you to stop at
seven stations along the way, so along as you get back on at the same
stations. The tickets are valid for 15 days from the date of your
first ride. If you don't want to bother making your own arrangements,
you can take a special Tourist Train. Tickets on these trains are
currently sold as part of a package that includes accommodation and
tours; in addition to bigger and more comfortable seats, these trains
are also equipped with salon and dining cars where passengers can
engage in karaoke singing and savor hot meals. The railroad will
always have an allure for travelers that other methods of
transportation cannot match. Do you want to take a romantic journey by
rail? Take a trip on the Taiwan railways, and you will not be
disappointed! |
