Rail transport in Taiwan

Taiwan has an extensive network of railways (1496 km as of 2003). Though no longer as dominant as it once was, Taiwan's high population density continues to make rail transport an extremely important form of transportation, especially along the densely populated western corridor. In 2011, over 863.4 million passengers used the rail systems in Taiwan, averaging 2.36 million passengers per day.

Rail transport was introduced to Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty (1891). Taiwan is the only part of the present-day Republic of China (ROC) to have rail transport (i.e., none of the small offshore islands—Quemoy (Kinmen), Matsu Islands, Pratas, Wuchiu or Taiping—have rail transport).

After Taiwan was ceded to Japan, the push car railways (臺車) was brought to Taiwan. The push car railways were in general service from 1895 to the late 1940s.

The railways of Taiwan include conventional rail, rapid transit systems, and high-speed rail, as well as specialized railways for tourists and industry.

Intercity railways

TRA train passing over the Kaoping Bridge in Kaohsiung

THSR train on a test run in 2006

TRA Tze-Chiang express train at Tainan Station

Long distance railways connecting several major cities and urban areas.

Name	Chinese Name	Year opened	Service status
Taiwan Railway Administration	臺灣鐵路管理局	1891	The TRA runs most of the main passenger and freight lines in Taiwan, forming a closed loop around the island, as well as several branch lines.
Taiwan High Speed Rail	台灣高速鐵路	2007	A high speed rail system based on Shinkansen technology, it runs along the western corridor from Taipei to Zuoying (Kaohsiung).

Urban metro

Xiaobitan Station on the Taipei Metro

Formosa Boulevard Station's "Dome of Light" on the Kaohsiung MRT

With the increasing urbanization of Taiwan, several urban rapid transit systems have been constructed with several more being planned.

Name	Chinese Name	Year opened	Service status
Taipei Metro	台北捷運	1996	The Taipei Metro runs on an extensive network of VAL and elevated/underground metro systems throughout the metropolitan area of Taipei.
Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit	高雄捷運	2008	The KMRT runs a metro network throughout the metropolitan area of Kaohsiung. The Red Line is in operation as of March 9, 2008. The Orange Line opened on September 14, 2008. Now another light rail system in downtown Kaohsiung are planned.
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System	台灣桃園機場 聯外捷運系統	2013 (under construction)	This line will connect from Taipei Main Station, throughing Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, and THSR Taoyuan Station to Zhongli.
Taoyuan Mass Rapid Transit System	桃園捷運	2013 (under construction)	A section of route had merged into the Airport MRT System, with the extension currently under construction. More lines are still in the planning phase.
Taichung Metropolitan Area MRT System	台中捷運	2015 (under construction)	The green line project was approved in 2004. It is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion by 2015.
Tainan MRT Transit System	台南捷運	To be determined	The Ministry of Transportation and Communications declined the proposal in January 2010, citing budget issues and deeming it premature.
Hsinchu MRT Transit System	新竹捷運	To be determined	Proposal declined along with Tainan MRT.

Industrial and tourist railways

Formosa Express tourist train

Originally built for the transportation of industrial products, these railroads have become tourist attractions.

• Alishan Forest Railway (阿里山森林鐵路): A narrow gauge railway that runs from Chiayi City to the popular mountain resort of Alishan. Originally built by the Japanese Colonial Government for the logging industry in 1912, this line now caters mostly to tourists.

• Taiwan Sugar Railways (台灣糖業鐵路): An extensive series of narrow gauge lines mostly in central and southern Taiwan, originally built to haul sugarcane by Meiji Sugar Co., Ltd. during Japanese rule, but also capable of providing limited passenger service. Regular passenger services discontinued in 1982. In 2003, some short-distance train services resumed.

• Taiping Mountain Forest Railway (太平山森林鐵路): A short 3 km (1.9 mi), narrow gauge rail line running through the Taiping Mountain Scenic Area in Yilan County, originally constructed in 1924 for the logging industry, now a popular tourist attraction.

Rail gauge

The earliest railway in Taiwan was the Liu Mingchuan's railway during the Qing dynasty. Since then, major railways in Taiwan have followed the cape gauge standard. The Hualien–Taitung Line (臺東線) was once 2 ft 6 in (762 mm), but since 1982 it has been converted to cape gauge, while the Alishan Forest Railway and the majority of Taiwan Sugar Railways are still 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) railways. The Taipei Metro, Taiwan High Speed Rail, and Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit all use standard gauge rail.

Cultural

Because of the Taiwan's extensive rail network (including many now defunct industrial narrow gauge lines which provided passenger service to rural areas), railways in Taiwan often have a romantic connotation, especially amongst the older generation who remember growing up when rail travel was the primary means of transportation between cities in simpler (and less prosperous) times. Many remember leaving their hometowns to attend school in far away cities by train or leaving via train to perform their compulsory military service. This nostalgia has been capitalized upon in recent years through the introduction of various items such as "nostalgia box lunches" (懷舊便當), claimed to be authentic copies of the box lunches that were once served aboard trains.

There is also a sizable network of railway fans in Taiwan which has increased with the recent trend of Taiwanization.

See also

• Transportation in Taiwan

External links

• Taiwan Railway Club (Chinese)
• Taiwan railway scenery
• Twilight zone in Taiwan (Japanese)
• The Railways of Taiwan