Rail transport in Taiwan consists of (as of 2015) of railway networks. Though no longer as dominant as it once was, rail transport is an extremely important form of transportation in Taiwan due to high population density, especially along the densely populated western corridor. In 2016, over 1.09 billion passengers traveled by rail in Taiwan, averaging 2.99 million passengers per day.
The railways of Taiwan include conventional rail, rapid transit systems, and
high-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
, as well as specialized railways for tourists and industry.
Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...
is an associate member and Taiwan High Speed Rail is an active member of the
International Union of Railways
The International Union of Railways (UIC, french: Union internationale des wikt:chemin de fer, chemins de fer) is an international rail transport industry body.
History
The railways of Europe originated as many separate concerns, and there wer ...
(UIC), even though Taiwan does not have state membership.
Rail transport was introduced to Taiwan in 1891 during its late
Qing era.
Push car railways were brought to Taiwan during
Japanese rule and were in general service from 1895 to the late 1940s.
All railway services are located in the main
island of Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, News media, press and Western literature, literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of ...
. Outer islands including
Penghu
The Penghu (, Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, covering an area ...
,
Kinmen
Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), off the southeastern coast of mainland China. It lies roughly east of the city of Xiamen in Fujian, from which it is separate ...
, and
Matsu Islands
The Matsu Islands ( or , ; Foochow Romanized: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤), officially Lienchiang County (, ; Foochow Romanized: Lièng-gŏng-gâing), are an archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea governed by the Republic of China ( ...
do not have railways.
Intercity railways
There are two railway systems that provide intercity transportation service in Taiwan:
The Taiwan Railways is administered by the governmental agency
Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...
. TRA operates both passenger service and the only freight service in the country. The main lines form a loop around the island that connects most of the country's major cities, with small branch lines at various points to the interior. TRA operates both intercity trains throughout Taiwan, and commuter services into the major cities. The
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is the high-speed railway of Taiwan consisting of one line that runs approximately along the west coast, from the capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. With construction and operations managed by a pri ...
is operated by a franchised private company called Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation, it contains passenger services between
Nangang,
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
and
Zuoying,
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
with a route that runs through
Western Taiwan The regions of Taiwan are based on the historical administrative divisions. However, most of the definitions are not precise.
Division into two regions
* Eastern and Western Taiwan: the Central Mountain Range separates Taiwan into east and west.
:* ...
.
Urban transit
Urban rail transit
Urban rail transit is an all-encompassing term for various types of local rail systems providing passenger service within and around urban or suburban areas. The set of urban rail systems can be roughly subdivided into the following categories, ...
systems are managed by local governments. There are currently five operators in Taiwan's major urban centers.
Most of the
urban rail transit
Urban rail transit is an all-encompassing term for various types of local rail systems providing passenger service within and around urban or suburban areas. The set of urban rail systems can be roughly subdivided into the following categories, ...
systems use
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
, except
Taipei Metro
Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), branded as Metro Taipei, is a rapid transit system serving the areas of Taipei and New Taipei City, New Taipei in Taiwan, operated by the State-owned enterprise, government-owned Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation ...
Wenhu line
The Wenhu or Brown line (code BR) is a metro line in Taipei operated by Taipei Metro, named after the districts it connects: Wenshan and Neihu. It is an automated medium-capacity rubber-tyred metro line and is long, serving a total of 24 st ...
, which uses
VAL system with
track gauge
In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many d ...
. The main line of
Taoyuan Metro
The Taoyuan Metro (formerly Taoyuan Rail Transit and officially Taoyuan Mass Rapid Transit System) is a rapid transit system serving Taoyuan City in Taiwan. The most recently proposed network includes 11 lines and extensions, of which 2 are now ...
is called the
Taoyuan Airport MRT
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), commonly known as the Airport MRT, is a rapid transit line of Taoyuan Metro that connects the municipalities of Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan with Taoyuan International Airport ...
, which connects
Taoyuan International Airport
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is an international airport serving Taipei and northern Taiwan. Located about west of Taipei in Dayuan District, Taoyuan, the airport is Taiwan's largest. It was also the busiest airport in Taiwan before t ...
, Taiwan's largest airport, with
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
and
Zhongli Locations
* Zhongli District (), Taoyuan, Taiwan
* Zhongli Township (), Gangbei District, Guigang, Guangxi, China
People
* Zhongli Quan ()
* Zhongli Mo ()
Other uses
* Zhongli (state) (), ancient state in China
*" Growing Pears" (), a shor ...
,
Taoyuan. In addition to the five systems above, there were also plans to built
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
systems in municipalities of
Tainan
Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...
and
Hsinchu
Hsinchu (, Chinese: 新竹, Pinyin: ''Xīnzhú'', Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan Province not among the special municipalities, with estimated 450,655 inhabi ...
. However, the
Ministry of Transportation and Communications declined the proposals in January 2010 for budget issues and deeming it premature.
Recently, most plans of new
urban rail transit
Urban rail transit is an all-encompassing term for various types of local rail systems providing passenger service within and around urban or suburban areas. The set of urban rail systems can be roughly subdivided into the following categories, ...
system plans have adopted
light rail for budget efficiency.
Industrial and tourist railways
![TRA Formosa Express on Mugua River Bridge 20091121](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/TRA_Formosa_Express_on_Mugua_River_Bridge_20091121.jpg)
Industrial railways were built mainly in the
Japanese era
The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...
for transporting industrial raw materials and products, especially
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
s for
sugar industry
The sugar industry subsumes the production, processing and marketing of sugars (mostly sucrose and fructose). Globally, most sugar is extracted from sugar cane (~80% predominantly in the tropics) and sugar beet (~ 20%, mostly in temperate cli ...
, and
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
for
wood industry
The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furnit ...
in Taiwan. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, these industries declined significantly and these railroads were remodeled as
tourist attractions
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that Tourism, tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of ...
in the beginning of 21st century.
The
Taiwan Sugar Railways is an extensive series of narrow gauge lines mostly in central and southern
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, originally built to haul
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
by the sugar companies in
Japanese era
The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...
, but also capable of providing limited passenger service. Regular passenger services discontinued in 1982. In 2003, some short-distance train services resumed. Currently there are six lines in operations.
Only Magongcuo line in Huwei Sugar Refinery is still under industrial use, other five lines have been transformed to
heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
s.
The Forest Railways were built for logging and timber industry, now recommissioned as tourist railway services in high mountains.
The
Alishan Forest Railway
Alishan Forest Railway () is an 86 km network of narrow gauge railways running up to and throughout the popular mountain resort of Alishan in Chiayi County, Taiwan. The railway, originally constructed for logging, has become a tourist a ...
is currently the largest tourist railway networks in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, operated by
Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...
. The
Luodong Forest Railway and
Taiping Mountain Forest Railway were interconnected to transport the harvested
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
from
Taiping Mountain
Taiping Mountain or Taipingshan () is a mountain in Datong Township, Yilan County,
Taiwan. It is one of Taiwan's three major forest recreation areas. At 1,950 meters (6,397 feet) above sea level, Taiping Mountain has nurtured an environment ri ...
to
Luodong
Luodong Township () is an urban township in the central part of Yilan County, Taiwan. Luodong is the smallest township in the county.
Naming
Its name and former name () derive from the Kavalan word '' rutung'', meaning " monkey", referring to a ...
,
Yilan
Yilan may refer to:
China
* Yilan County, Heilongjiang (依兰县), county of central Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China
* Yilan Town, Heilongjiang (依兰镇), seat of Yilan County
* Yilan, Jilin (依兰镇), town in Yanji
Taiwan ...
and transferred to major railway system of Taiwan. Now only a short section near Tiansongpi Station are operating.
Wulai Scenic Train
The Wulai Scenic Train (), also known as Wulai Trolley, is a 1.6 km railway line in Wulai District, New Taipei, Taiwan.
History
The rail cart was originally designed by the Japanese government in 1928 to transport timber, logging tools, tea an ...
was originally tracks for
rail push trolley
A handcar (also known as a pump trolley, pump car, rail push trolley, push-trolley, jigger, Kalamazoo, velocipede, or draisine) is a railroad car powered by its passengers, or by people pushing the car from behind. It is mostly used as a railwa ...
s, now runs a light automotive for tourists.
Track gauge
The earliest railway in Taiwan was completed in 1893 under the auspices of Governor
Liu Mingchuan
Liu Ming-chuan (1836–1896), courtesy name Xingsan, lived in the late Qing dynasty. He was born in Hefei, Anhui. Liu became involved in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion at an early age, and worked closely with Zeng Guofan and Li Hongz ...
during the
Qing Era and rebuilt by the
Governors-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
during the
Japanese Era
The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...
(see
Taiwan Railways Administration§History). Since then,
major railways in Taiwan have followed the gauge standard. The
Taitung Line
The Taitung Line (), also known as the Hua-Tung line (), is the southern section of the Eastern Line of the Taiwan Railways Administration. The line starts at the Hualien station and ends at the Taitung station. It is 161.5 km long, includ ...
was built during the
Japanese Era
The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...
with gauge, but since 1982 it has been converted to , while the
Alishan Forest Railway
Alishan Forest Railway () is an 86 km network of narrow gauge railways running up to and throughout the popular mountain resort of Alishan in Chiayi County, Taiwan. The railway, originally constructed for logging, has become a tourist a ...
and the majority of
Taiwan Sugar Railways are still railways. The
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is the high-speed railway of Taiwan consisting of one line that runs approximately along the west coast, from the capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. With construction and operations managed by a pri ...
and all
rapid transit systems
These lists of rapid transit systems are sorted by the type of system:
* List of tram and light rail transit systems
* List of town tramway systems
* Medium-capacity rail transport system
* List of premetro systems
* List of metro systems
* List o ...
use
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
track.
Cultural
Because of 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
Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...
has been capitalized upon in recent years through the introduction of various items such as , claimed to be authentic copies of the box lunches that were once served aboard trains.
Railfan culture
![Su Chao-hsu in TIBE 20110212](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Su_Chao-hsu_in_TIBE_20110212.jpg)
Taiwan also has a rail enthusiast culture that dates back to 9 June 1988, when the National Chiao Tung University's , the first college student club in Taiwan, was established, with its first leader being Jen Heng-yi. Jen and his fellow club members would work to publish what became the first issue of the popular long-running railfan publication
Rail News in 1989. The success the club had with other local railfans was followed by the establishment of similar clubs in other Taiwanese universities such as in the National Taiwan University and Tamkang University in Taipei, as well as one at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan. The first private rail association, Railway Culture Society was subsequently established in 1995 after Jen and other founders of the Rail Institute transitioned away from student life.
Some prominent railway enthusiasts in Taiwan include assistant professor of the National Taiwan Normal University and technical assistant professor of the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism.
See also
*
List of railway stations in Taiwan
There are currently six operating railway systems in Taiwan:
The two Inter-city rail systems, Taiwan Railways and Taiwan High Speed Rail, have several overlaps in station names. See below ''Taiwan High Speed Rail'' section for their relations in ...
*
Taiwan Railways Administration
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...
*
Transportation in Taiwan
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Taiwan railway sceneryTwilight zone in Taiwan(Japanese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rail Transport In Taiwan