The Hengchun Line () is a planned

branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industri ...

of the

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)

South-link line The South-link line () is a line of the Taiwan Railways Administration running across the southern tip of the island of Taiwan, connecting the eastern and western coasts. It is 98.2 km long, of which 81.4 km is single-track. The secti ...

which plans to connect Taiwan's southern capital

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 ...

Kenting Kenting National Park (), commonly known as Kenting (), is a national park located on the Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung County, Taiwan, covering Hengchun, Checheng, and Manzhou Townships. Established on 1 January 1984, it is Taiwan's oldest ...

, a popular tourist destination located in

Hengchun Hengchun Township is a township located on the southern tip of the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is the southernmost township in Taiwan. Hengchun is also the only urban township in the southern part of Pingtung County. Hengch ...

. Express train service that connects

Xinzuoying Station Zuoying () is a metro and railway station in Kaohsiung, Taiwan served by Kaohsiung MRT, Taiwan High Speed Rail, and Taiwan Railways, where it is known as Xinzuoying (). The station is served by the fastest HSR express services of the '' ...

, the major hub for both

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

trains, to Hengchun is also planned. Construction will start in 2017.

History

In 1876, the Governor of Fujian Province Ding Ri-chang ( zh) proposed a railway line running from Keelung to Hengchun, and under a 1924 plan proposed during Japanese rule, the Hengchun Line was planned to branch off from the

Pingtung line The Pingtung Line () is a line of the Taiwan Railway Administration West Coast line in Taiwan. It is long, of which is double track. The section between Nanzhou and Linbian railway stations will be upgraded from a single-track railway ...

, however that plan was shelved in 1927 due to budgetary constraints. The need to construct the Hengchun Line became apparent with the opening of

Kenting National Park Kenting National Park (), commonly known as Kenting (), is a national park located on the Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung County, Taiwan, covering Hengchun, Checheng, and Manzhou Townships. Established on 1 January 1984, it is Taiwan's oldest a ...

in 1984 as well as the fact that

Hengchun Airport Hengchun Airport () is an airport in Renshou Village, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. The airport is near Kenting National Park and is the southernmost airport in Taiwan. Due to its location, the airport frequently experiences stron ...

(opened in 2004) is often affected by strong winds. Also, the washing away of several bridges of Provincial Highway 1 during

Typhoon Haitang The name Haitang has been used to name four tropical cyclones in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The name was contributed by China and literally means "Chinese flowering crabapple". * Typhoon Haitang (2005) Typhoon Haitang, known in the Philipp ...

in 2005 further highlighted the importance of the need for the Hengchun Line. In 2002 a feasibility study was completed, however in 2005 the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) recommended that coach transportation be used entirely from

Fangliao railway station Fangliao () is a railway station of the Taiwan Railways Administration at the junction of the Pingtung line and the South-link line. It is located in Fangliao Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. Overview The station has two island platforms. It ...

to Kenting National Park. After further lobbying from Hengchun residents, the MOTC conducted a revised feasibility study in 2014, this time including express service using TRA rolling stock from

to Hengchun Station. The latter study was approved by the Executive Yuan in December 2015, and after all land acquisition is completed, construction is expected to begin in 2017 with completion in 2024–2025. A branch line leading to the

National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

is currently under discussion.

Stations

References

3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Taiwan TRA routes Proposed railway lines {{Taiwan-rail-transport-stub