FEATURE: Line closure marks end of an era

People wave farewell to the diesel-powered train that used to transport coal to Taipower's Shenao plant as it stops at the plant after making its last trip yesterday. PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES

As Cheng Min-chang (鄭銘彰), chairman of the Railway Culture Society, looks at photos taken along the Shenao Railway Line (深澳線), he remembers his days as a young railway fan.

Cheng had been unaware of the Shenao Line until he read a book by a Japanese writer who wrote about the railway lines he traveled on in Taiwan. In 1986, Cheng decided to explore the railway line the day after he finished his college entrance exam.

"I remembered the car was permeated with the smell of fish as vendors brought loads of fish from the harbor in Badouzih (八斗仔) to sell it at the day market in Rueifang (瑞芳)," he said.

Cheng recalled that there were only two other people on board on his return trip that day: the driver and the head of the train crew.

At 9:30am yesterday, Cheng and other railway enthusiasts boarded the last diesel-powered train to head toward the Shenao Line -- at least for a while.

When the train returned to Taipei Main Station at 12:35pm, it closed a chapter on this once popular minor railway line.

"I remembered the car was permeated with the smell of fish as vendors brought loads of fish from the harbor in Badouzih to sell it at the day market in Rueifang."

Cheng Min-chang, chairman of the Railway Culture Society

Some of the railway enthusiasts chased after the train on scooters, some trying to capture it on film.

"The scenery in Badouzih was just gorgeous," Cheng said during the three-hour trip.

Hsu Bang-yen (許邦彥), the station master in Rueifang, said that the 6.3km railway line had been constructed mainly to transport copper and help bring coal to Taiwan Power's Shenao Thermal Power Plant.

Construction of the Shenao Line was completed in 1967. Starting from Rueifang, trains on the Shenao Line made stops at Badouzih, Shenao, Rueibin (瑞濱), Haibin (海濱) and Liandong (濂洞).

Hsu said the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) decided to stop the train service from Haibin to Liandong in 1977 after the completion of Provincial Highway No. 2, also known as the Coastal Highway.

He said that because of the low occupancy rate, the administration terminated passenger services on the Shenao Line in 1989. Since then, the line has been used only to bring coal to the power plant.

"As the power plant ceased operations two weeks ago, the coal-carrier service is no longer needed either," Hsu said.

TRA spokesperson Chang Ying-huei (張應輝) said yesterday that the Shenao Line would be used to carry visitors to Sea World in Keelung County, which is scheduled to open in 2011.

The Shenao Train Station will be renamed as Sea World Train Station, Chang said.

He said the administration plans to spend NT$55 million (US$1.7 million) to replace all the outdated facilities along the railway line. Construction is expected to begin next year and is scheduled to be completed in 2010.

Chang said that the administration would arrange for up to 62 diesel-powered trains to operate between Rueifang and the Sea World Train Station, which are 4.2km apart.

The administration has estimated that the Keelung Sea World would draw approximately 2 million visitors a year, and that 17 percent of the visitors would use the railway service, he said.

However, the administration would not be able to cover the costs if it charged each passenger NT$28 for a round-trip ticket, which is the standing rate on commuter trains, Chang said.

He said the administration would have to spend at least NT$30 million a month to cover the personnel and railway maintenance costs.

"The other operational model could be that Sea World subsidizes travelers' transportation fees as a way to attract tourists," he said.

Cheng said that the administration should seriously consider extending the railway route to the scenic Badouzih area, which he said would also attract tourists.

Besides the Shenao line, the administration has also recently closed other minor railway lines, including the one in Donggang (東港), Pingtung County.

Cheng said that it was difficult for the TRA to maintain minor railway lines used by very few passengers.

To save on personnel costs, he suggested that the administration use an automatic signaling system along minor railway routes.

"Since the TRA would have to deploy extra trains to carry passengers on this line, it is reasonable to charge each passenger a bit more," Cheng said.