Taiwan hopes its new bullet train will prove to be something of an economic fast track, as well as a drawcard for tourists from overseas.
I recently took a ride on the train, from Chiayi to Taichung and back again, along with happy throngs of Lunar New Year sightseers -- family groups, kids, grandparents, college students, couples -- and it was a marvelous, fantastic experience.
While the HSR [
The most fantastic part of the trip, from Chiayi to Taichung, may represent a technological breakthrough.
Most bullet train tracks around the world are straight and on flat land, more or less, with just a few gentle curves and hills to navigate.
The route between Taichung and Chiayi goes through some rugged, mountainous areas in northern Changhua County.
One second you are on the flat plains zooming along as most bullet trains do, then suddenly you start zipping up (or down, as the case may be) in a banked curve into rugged mountain passes and tunnels.
Not only is the view from the highlands to the plains below staggering, but the trip south from Taichung down to Chiayi puts the train on a rollercoaster-like sloping curve as the train exits from the last mountain tunnel, beginning a two-minute descent at high speed the likes of which I have never experienced.
Looking out the right side of the train, you can actually see the curving, sloping track ahead of you as the train gains speed and zooms down the loop-de-loop. It's a fantastic experience.
Dan Bloom
Chiayi
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