Tainan () is a railway station in

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a 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" for its over 200 years of his ...

, Taiwan served 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 ...

. Situated in centre of the old town square of Tainan, Tainan Station is the main station of the city and also one of the major stations along the western trunk line in Taiwan. The Shalun line, opened in 2011, allows through services to link the station with

THSR 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 ...

Tainan Station Tainan () is a railway station in Tainan, Taiwan served by Taiwan Railways Administration. Situated in centre of the old town square of Tainan, Tainan Station is the main station of the city and also one of the major stations along the western ...

Overview

The station has one

island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...

and one

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platform ...

. The current station structure opened on 15 March 1936, which included a hotel on the second floor (the only station of its kind in Taiwan). The hotel closed in 1965, and the restaurant was closed in 1986. Construction is ongoing for a plan to move the tracks and station underground by 2017.

History

*1899-12: The construction on the station began. *1900-05-15: Construction on the station was completed. *1900-11-29: The section from Tainan to Dagou (modern-day Kaohsiung Port) opens for service. *1901: The section from Tainan to Wanli (Shanhua) opens for service. *1905: Slight expansion of the station. *1911: Rebuilt due to collapse from wind and rain. *1927: Due to double track construction from Tainan to Kaohsiung and inadequacy of the station, the station was demolished. Construction began on the second-generation station the same year. *1936-03-15: The current (second-generation) station is completed, taking a total of two years seven months to complete. A hotel was opened on the second floor of the station. *1945: The Station sustained damage from an American bombing. A restaurant was also added on the second floor. *1954-06-06: The Taiwan Sugar Railways Guanmiao line (關廟線) is extended to south of Tainan Station. *1965: The hotel on the second floor of the station was closed. *1969-05-20: The Guanmiao line was demolished. *1977-06: A station rear entrance/exit was constructed to benefit East District residents and the students and teachers of nearby schools who otherwise would have to go through the main entrance/exit on Beimen Road. *1986: The restaurant on the second floor of the station was closed. *1998-12-18: The

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

designates the station a historical site. (The government of

Taiwan Province Taiwan Province (; PFS: ''Thòi-vàn-sén'' or ''Thòi-vân-sén'') is a nominal administrative division of the Republic of China (ROC). Its definition has remained part of the Constitution of the Republic of China, but the province is no lo ...

had previously declared it a historical site.) *1999-07-01: Station operation is transferred from the provincial railway bureau to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. *2007-04-26: The Tainan Urban District Railway Underground Project
臺南市區鐵路地下化計畫
is finalized. This plan moves the station as well as the railroad tracks from around Shijian Park (實踐公園) to the southern end of Shengchan Road (生產路) completely underground. The original station aboveground will be preserved as a landmark and some of original railroad tracks area converted into a park. *2009-09-09: The Executive Yuan

Council for Economic Planning and Development The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD; ) was a government agency responsible for drafting overall plans for national economic development in Taiwan (ROC). It also assessed development projects, proposals and programmes submitted ...

approved the Tainan Urban District Railway Underground Project. Construction was expected to begin and last for over seven years to be completed by 2017. *2010-12-21: Two additional barrier-free elevators at the front station were put into operation (located respectively in the taxi scheduling area and by the Tainan Branch of the Ministry of Economic Affairs

Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI; ) is the administrative agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs responsible for standardization, metrology and product inspection in Taiwan. Branch offices * Keelung Branch * Hsinc ...

) *2010-12-21: The Shalun Line begins operation, allowing passengers to reach the

Shalun Station Shalun () is a railway station which opened on 2 January 2011. It is operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration and is a terminal station on the Shalun line, located in Gueiren District, Tainan City, Taiwan. It connects to the THSR Tainan ...

and the connected

Tainan HSR station Tainan () is a railway station in Tainan, Taiwan served by Taiwan High Speed Rail, and is connected to station for TRA services. Tainan HSR station is about 17 km away from Tainan railway station. Overview Tainan station was designed by Fe ...

in 20 minutes. *2012-05-08: A barrier-free elevator connecting Platform 1 and 2 is completed and put into operation. *2016-04-21:

Puyuma Express The ''Puyuma Express'' () is a type of railway service on Taiwan Railways (TRA) notable for using tilting trains. It began commercial service on 6 February 2013 during the Spring Festival. ''Puyuma Express'' was commissioned by the TRA in ord ...

trains began to stop at Tainan Station. *2017-05-07: The collapse of the lobby ceiling injured two passengers, causing an investigation into the structural integrity of the historical site. *2017-10: Renovations began, costing a total of NT$157 million and an estimated construction period of 40 months. *2019-11: The main construction on the new underground station began with expected completion and opening in 2023.

Platform layout

Around the station

Station front

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

Tainan Hospital * China Daily News Headquarters * Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store (Tainan Zhongshan Store) * Focus Department Store * North Gate Shopping Circle * Taiwan High Court, Tainan Branch * Bo Yang Museum *

Former Tainan Weather Observatory The Former Tainan Weather Observatory () is a former weather station in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan. History The weather station was built in 1897 during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. For a very long time, the building had been remaine ...

* Hayashi Department Store *

National Tainan Junior College of Nursing National Tainan Institute of Nursing; National Tainan Junior College of Nursing (NTJCN; ) is a public college in West Central, Tainan, Taiwan. NTJCN offers several academic programs, including a two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) progr ...

National Tainan Second Senior High School The National Tainan Second Senior High School (TNSSH; ) is a senior high school in North District, Tainan, North District, Tainan, Taiwan. It was established in May 1914 during the Taiwan under Japanese rule, period of Japanese rule. It was the fi ...

Tainan Children's Science Museum The Tainan Children's Science Museum (TCSM; ) is a museum in North District, Tainan, Taiwan. Architecture The museum is housed in a four-story building, which houses the audiovisual room, administration center, exhibition rooms, reading room, ...

* Tainan Cultural and Creative Park * Tainan Judicial Museum * Tang Te-chang Memorial Park *

Yeh Shih-tao Literature Memorial Hall The Yeh-Shyr-Tau Literary Memorial Museum () is a memorial hall dedicated to Yeh Shih-tao in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan. History The building where the memorial hall is housed today used to be the Tainan Forestry Affairs Office. In 2 ...

Station back

* National Cheng Kung University * National University of Tainan * National Cheng Kung University Hospital *

National Tainan First Senior High School The National Tainan First Senior High School () is a public senior high school in East District, Tainan, Taiwan. It was established in 1922 and is considered one of the most prestigious high schools in Taiwan, usually only accepting students who ...

* Far Eastern Department Store *

Shangri-La Shangri-La is a fictional place in Asia's Kunlun Mountains (昆仑山), Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel '' Lost Horizon'' by English author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, ...

's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel

References

External links

Tainan Station
(English) {{TRA West Coast line navbox 1900 establishments in Taiwan East District, Tainan National monuments of Taiwan Railway stations in Tainan Railway stations opened in 1900 Railway stations served by Taiwan Railways Administration