Taiwan’s extraordinary 111-year-old forest railway gets a makeover
Snaking thru the dense forests of Alishan, one of the tallest mountain degrees in Taiwan, the 111-year-antique Alishan Forest Railway has lengthy been a famous appeal for teach fans.
And now, the teach`s operators are freshening up its anciental fleet via way of means of including six glossy new rail motors.
Collectively named Formosensis, the brand new carriages are the manufactured from years and 9 months of making plans and construction. Test drives kicked off in March, with the enterprise hoping to wrap matters up via way of means of June.
Both the livery and interiors of the six new motors are coated with styles of cypresses local to the island – Taiwan purple cypress (or Chamaecyparis formosensis – which stimulated the name) and Taiwan cypress (Chamaecyparis Taiwanensis).
“Taiwan purple cypress and Taiwan cypress are great and uniform wooden materials,” say Alishan Forest Railway officers in a statement. “They`re durable, immune to erosion and insects. The critical oils it carries exudes a completely unique phytoncide heady fragrance (the heady fragrance of the woodland), that’s each energizing and cleansing. Passengers ought to revel in a clean woodland bathing revel in.”
Formosensis will raise the revel in for tourists in numerous ways. For one, the modern cypress-themed teach doesn`t have air-conditioning or smooth seating.
Each new automobile could be outfitted with 18 leather-based seats, such as four-seat cubicles and -seat cubicles. They may even function larger home windows and hotter lighting fixtures as compared to older models, all to beautify the viewing revel in.
But tourists will should wait a chunk longer earlier than they could climb aboard. Details of the routes and release date haven’t begun to be confirmed, in step with the teach office`s spokesperson.
Asia`s maximum narrow-gauge mountain railway
The current Alishan Railway Route runs from Chiayi metropolis station to the Loco Shed Park, a garage-turned-park wherein traffic can see preserved antique teach engines and trains that served the Alishan Forest Railway.
Completed in 1912 beneathneath the Japanese occupation, the railway became as soon as used to move now-endangered Taiwan cypress timber from Alishan. After logging became banned, it have become the handiest passenger teach to experience up the mountains.
It`s believed to be the best narrow-gauge mountain railway in Asia, hiking from 30 meters to 2,216 meters above sea level – a few sixteen meters better than the famed Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, which ascends from one hundred meters to 2,two hundred meters.
The Formosensis carriages could be the modern day addition to Alishan Forest Railway`s anciental fleet, which incorporates restored steam locomotives.
Train fanatics can revel in a number of the 71.6-kilometer railway`s authentic features – such as the various spiral and horseshoe bends alongside the tracks. (You can see the aerial pix of a number of the tracks withinside the above image gallery.)
The adventure additionally gives a glimpse into Taiwan`s numerous herbal beauty, because the teach is going thru a tropical woodland, then a subtropical woodland and sooner or later a temperate woodland for the duration of its ascent to the pinnacle of Alishan.
In addition to growing greater present day trains for the route, Alishan Forest Railway has additionally been restoring a number of its older trains, in addition to anciental points of interest alongside the line.
In 2021, the Alishan Forestry Railway and Cultural Heritage Office finished restorations of the century-antique Shay 21 steam locomotive. It`s Alishan`s first 28-ton steam teach, imported from america in 1912, and is powered via way of means of its authentic coal-burning engine.
Meanwhile, a Shay 31 locomotive makes occasional appearances for the duration of the flower blossoming season, from March to May.
Getting to Alishan
The Alishan Forest Railway isn`t a non-stop line – one segment of music among Shizilu Station and Alishan Station became broken in a typhoon.
Travelers can take the principle line from Chiayi Station to Fenqihu Station (2 hours, 20 minutes) and keep the adventure via way of means of bus from Fenqihu Station to Alishan Station.
Only one teach departs every day from Chiayi, at nine a.m on weekdays. Two greater trains (at 8:30 a.m. and nine:30 a.m.) are introduced at weekends. (Find the time table in this website).
From Alishan Station, there are some department strains that ferry passengers to the points of interest across the Alishan Scenic Area.
