Alishan Forest Railway

Alishan Forest Railway
The back of a train on the Zhushan Line
Overview
Locale	Chiayi County, Taiwan
Coordinates	23°30′36″N 120°48′15″E / 23.510092°N 120.804239°E / 23.510092; 120.804239Coordinates: 23°30′36″N 120°48′15″E / 23.510092°N 120.804239°E / 23.510092; 120.804239
Termini	Chiayi Chushan
Connecting lines	Chiayi Station: TRA Western Line
Daily ridership	5500[1]
Operation
Opened	1912 (1912)
Operator(s)	Forestry Bureau
Technical
Line length	86 km (53 mi)
Track gauge	2 ft 6 in (762 mm)
Highest elevation	2,216 m (7,270 ft)
Route map Alishan Forest Railway To Kaohsiung Chiayi To Keelung Beimen Lumachan Zhuqi Lumachan Jhangnaoliao Dulishan Liyuanliao Jiaoliping Shueisheliao Fenqihu Duolin Shizilu Pingzhena First Reverse Erwanping Shenmu Alishan Shuishan Zhaoping Chushan Tashan Shihou

The Alishan Forest Railway (Chinese: 阿里山森林鐵路; pinyin: Ālǐshān Sēnlín Tiělù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: A-lí-san Sim-lîm Thih-lō͘) is an 86 km network of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) 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 attraction with its unique Z-shaped switchbacks, and over 50 tunnels and 77 wooden bridges.^[2]

History

Japanese rule period

Class B 28t Shay locomotive No.31

The narrow gauge lines were originally constructed by the Japanese Colonial Government in 1912 to facilitate the logging of cypress and Taiwania wood. Passenger carriages were first added to the trains in 1918. The first motive power was a Shay locomotive purchased second hand from the Kiso Forest Railway in Japan. Eventually the railway acquired 20 Shay locomotives.

Eventually, diesel railcars supplemented the steam engines on the passenger services. In the 1980s, 10 Hitachi-built diesel-hydraulic locomotives were delivered and replaced the railcars and remaining steam engines.

Since 1945

The completion of the Alishan Highway in 1982 led to the loss of many rail passengers to faster and cheaper buses and the rail became primarily a tourist attraction.^[2]

Accidents on the line have resulted in a number of fatalities over the years. On 24 April 1981, a collapsed tunnel resulted in nine deaths and 13 injuries. On 1 March 2003, 17 people were killed and 156 injured when a train derailed near Alishan Railway Station.^[3] On 27 April 2011, five tourists, including three from mainland China, were killed and 113 people injured in a derailment.^[4]

A damaged portion of the Alishan Line visible from Alishan National Scenic Area.

The railway line was severely damaged by landslides due to the 2009 Typhoon Morakot and has been partially closed since. In August 2015, the Chiayi-Fenqihu section was again damaged due to Typhoon Soudelor, but the section opened again on 12 August 2015.^[5]

Operation

The railway was privatized through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) in June 2008^[6] and maintained by the Hungtu Alishan International Development Corporation.^[7] On 1 May 2013, the management of the railway was taken over by Taiwan Railways Administration. On 1 July 2018, the railway was taken over by the newly established Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office of the Forestry Bureau.^[8]

The system is currently operated using diesel locomotives, although there are occasional special public runs using the old steam powered Shay locomotives.^[9] Taiwan's government has listed the forest railway as a potential World Heritage Site. However, Taiwan's exclusion from the United Nations means it is unlikely to be formally recognized as a heritage site in the near future.

Lines

• 
  The front of the train on the Zhushan Line
• 
  Alishan station
• 
  Zhushan Station

Spiral loop in the Alishan Line

The main line originally ran from the city of Chiayi (elevation 30 m), to Alishan (elevation 2,216 m), but is currently partially closed past Shizilu. The vegetation along the way changes from tropical to temperate and finally alpine. The line features many switchbacks on the way up the mountain.^[10]

• Main line

Chiayi–Shizilu

Includes several steep gradients (max. 6.26%), a spiral and four switchbacks; longest line with most dramatic climate change.

Reopened between Chiayi and Fenqihu (approximately the halfway point) following typhoon damage repairs in January 2014,^[11] and to Shizilu in 2017.

• Shenmu line

Alishan–First Reverse via Shenmu

Runs frequently all day, a short (5 minute) ride downhill to Shenmu station.

• Chushan line

Alishan–Chushan

Early morning trains, popular for viewing the sunrise over Jade Mountain

• Zhaoping line

Alishan–Zhaoping

Runs frequently all day, a short (5 minute) ride uphill to Zhaoping station

• Mianyue line

Alishan–Shihou

Closed indefinitely due to earthquake damage

• Shuishan line

Alishan–Shuishan

List of stations

Alishan line (Main line)

Alishan Station

Name	Chinese	Taiwanese	Hakka	Elevation (m)	Distance (km)	Transfers and Notes	Location
Chiayi	嘉義	Ka-gī	Kâ-ngi	30	0.0	West Coast line: Chiayi	West	Chiayi
Beimen	北門	Pak-mn̂g	Pet-mùn	31	1.6	West Coast line: Beimen	East
Lumachan	鹿麻產	Lo̍k-môa-sán	Lu̍k-mà-sán	82	10.8		Zhuqi	Chiayi County
Zhuqi	竹崎	Tek-kiā	Chuk-khì	127	14.2
Mulüliao	木履寮	Ba̍k-kia̍h-liàu	Muk-kiak-liàu	324	18.9
Zhangnaoliao	樟腦寮	Chiuⁿ-ló͘-liâu	Chông-nó-liàu	543	23.3
Dulishan	獨立山	To̍k-li̍p-soaⁿ	Thu̍k-li̍p-sân	743	27.4
Liyuanliao	梨園寮	Lê-hn̂g-liâu	Lài-yèn-liàu	905	31.4		Meishan
Jiaoliping	交力坪	Ka-le̍k-pêⁿ	Kâu-li̍t-phiàng	997	34.9		Zhuqi
Shuisheliao	水社寮	Chúi-siā-liâu	Súi-sa-liàu	1186	40.5
Fenqihu	奮起湖	Pùn-ki-ô͘	Fun-hí-fù	1403	45.8
Duolin	多林	To-lîm	Tô-lìm	1516	50.9		Alishan
Shizilu	十字路	Si̍p-jī-lō͘	Sṳ̍p-sṳ-lu	1534	55.3
Pingzhena	屏遮那	Hè-sen-ná	Phìn-châ-nâ	1711	60.5
Erwanping	二萬坪	Jī-bān-pêⁿ	Ngi-van-phìn	2000	66.8
Shenmu	神木	Sîn-bo̍k	Sṳ̀n-muk	2138	69.6	→ Shenmu line
Alishan	阿里山	A-lí-san	Â-lî-sân	2216	71.4
Zhaoping	沼平	Chau-pêng	Cheu-phiàng	2274	72.7	→ Mianyue line → Zhushan line

See also

• Rail transport in Taiwan
• Alishan National Scenic Area

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alishan Forest Railway.

• Alishan Forest Railway (in Chinese)
• Alishan Forest Railway Official web site
• Alishan Forest Railway　(Hungtu Alishan)(in Chinese) (in Japanese)