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Caoling Tunnel to reopen to tourists from next weekend

The Old Caoling Tunnel (舊草嶺隧道), one of the most important routes that connected eastern and western regions of the nation at the beginning of the 20th century, is scheduled to reopen on Saturday after having been closed for 28 years.

The railway tunnel was said to have inspired the creation of the famous Taiwanese folk song Diudiudang (丟丟銅). The song was a vivid illustration of a train running through the tunnel in its early days. The term Diudiudang was created by the lyricist to describe the sound of the dripping water one could hear while traveling through the tunnel.

The tunnel was opened in 1924, and was closed to passengers in 1979.

celebration

To celebrate the reopening of the tunnel and the 120th anniversary of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA), the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area Administration and the TRA will host walking tours through the tunnel on weekends from next Saturday through June 24.

Yang Yeong-sheng (楊永盛), the secretary of the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area Administration, said yesterday that the administration is planning to have a bicycle lane built inside the tunnel by the end of the year.

consulting firm

The administration recruited a consulting firm to evaluate the viability of reopening the tunnel for tourism purposes, Yang said. After careful consideration of the firm's findings, the administration decided that the tunnel would be opened to the public once they had addressed all the safety issues that had been identified during the review.

Yang said that the tunnel had been closed for so long that there were a large number of potholes along the railroad tracks. To turn the tunnel into a more accessible tourist attraction, the administration decided to completely remove the old railway tracks and build a pavement through the tunnel in its place.

The administration has also installed lighting inside the tunnel to light the way for visitors.

historical site

Yang said because the government had rated the tunnel as a third-tier historical site, the administration had tried their best to preserve the original features of the railway tunnel.

According to a statement issued last week, the tunnel is 2.2km in length and was the nation's longest tunnel during the Japanese colonial era. Two boards inscribed with Chinese characters remain attached to the wall above both of the entrances, although both are now covered by soot.

The walking tour will begin at the train station in Fulong (福隆) and finish in Dali (大里). Visitors can also participate in a series of related events held alongside the walking tour.

More information is available at www.necoast-nsa.gov.tw/.
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