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‘Cruise train’ brings new admirers to South Line

“When the weather gets cooler in November, we may consider making Chihpen of Taitung County a selling point by working with the hot spring service operators.” — Chang Ying-huei, TRA deputy director-general

The “cruise train” service launched by the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) last month has increased railway tourism and helped revitalize some railway stations that were no longer in use or rarely used.

The TRA launched its cruise trains last month to allow travelers the opportunity to tour the south and east by train, with long stops at select stations to give tourists time to see the sites.

The South Line from Kaohsiung to Taitung was one of the routes chosen for the service.

Several train stations along the 98.2km route had not been in use for a while, including Duoliang (多良), Sanhe (三和), Sianglan (香蘭), Fushan (富山) and Puan (菩安), all of which are in Taitung County.

Duoliang Station is particularly scenic, offering an unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean from the platform.

The TRA closed Duoliang Station two years ago because of low traffic.

The Fangye (枋野) Signal Control Station on the South Line is another highlight of the trip.

The post in the mountains of Pingtung County was built to monitor the loushanfeng (落山風) phenomenon, winds that generally occur in the area of Hengchun (恆春) between October and April.

However, the TRA has at times had to cancel services to the station because of strong winds.

The TRA’s cruise train service has made stops at Duoliang and Fangye and let travelers explore each for an hour or so before boarding the train again.

The TRA says the service has attracted strong interest, and it is considering running one cruise train per day between Monday and Thursday on a few routes.

In addition to the South Line, the TRA has arranged cruise trains on the Ilan route and the Hualien-Taitung line, passing through the scenic northeast region.

TRA Deputy Director-General Chang Ying-huei (張應輝) said yesterday that demand would determine whether Duoliang Station would resume regular operations again.

The administration is focusing on attracting visitors to Duoliang and other scenic stations on the South Line this month and next month, he said.

“When the weather gets cooler in November, we may consider making Chihpen (知本) of Taitung County a selling point by working with the hot springs service operators,” he said.
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