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Taipei enshrines rail site

The Tatung Administrative District Office, with the Taipei City Government's help, has turned the old Taipei Railway Station, located at Civil Boulevard and Taiyuan Road in downtown Taipei, into a railway museum. An old railway carriage is displayed. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

The Taipei City Government launched a series of activities highlighting Taiwan's railway history yesterday at what once served as the Taipei Railway Station's rear entrance.

"Decades ago, the rear entrance of the Taipei Railway Station was the door through which young workers from southern Taiwan entered Taipei in pursuit of their dreams," said Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). "We want to boost the business climate in this historic neighborhood and hope that by organizing activities like this, people will return to this area in numbers resembling those of the past."

The rear entrance of Taipei Railway Station was built in 1939. It was once the gateway to the prosperous neighborhood of "Tataocheng" (大稻程), now called the Tatung district.

In the 1940s and 1950s, it was common for young people from southern Taiwan to take the train to Taipei looking for employment. With more than 50 employment agencies in the area, the station's rear entrance was their first stop.

The Taiwan Railway Administration said that after the "Hua-shan-Wanhua" (華山 -- 萬華) underground section and the new Taipei Railway Station building were finished in 1989, they decided to tear down the old station.

After the demolition, the Taipei City Government took advantage of the extra space to build an east-west expressway, now called Civil Boulevard (市民大道).

The disappearance of the old Taipei Railway Station and all nearby associated ground rail tracks did ease traffic congestion in the area.

Unfortunately, the changes also precipitated an exodus of local businesses.

The Railway Culture Society (鐵道文化協會) and the Taipei City Government established the "Remember-the-old time Square" at the location where the back entry of the Taipei Railway Station once stood. On the square, there is an artificial platform No. 6 and a remodeled antique train car named "DH-208" which was used on the Taipei-Tamsui Line in the 1950s. It is now a small museum displaying pictures, movies and stories of Taiwan's railway history.

Platform No. 6 used to be the platform for Taipei to Tamsui trains.

"When I was a kid, my parents and I often took the Taipei to Tamsui Line trains to Tamsui or Peitou for the sheer pleasure of it," said Mayor Ma.

"When I saw this old car, all the sweet memories suddenly came back to me. In the meantime, we also hope to educate the next generation with these precious historic displays while introducing the value of our local culture as well," Ma said.
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