The Antong (安通) Train Station in Hualien is scheduled to reopen today — but as a rest stop for bicyclists.
The station used to be one of the stops on the railway route along the east coast. It ceased operation in 2007 after the government decided to “straighten” the railway route between Yuli (玉里) and Dongli (東里).
With Hualien’s reputation as a haven for cyclists, the Tourism Bureau, the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) and the Yuli Township office have been working together to remove the railway tracks and turn the section into a bicycling route.
Railway Reconstruction Bureau Deputy Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said Antong was the only station on the old east coast railway route to have been changed into a cyclist stop.
After renovation, the Antong station is now equipped with shower facilities and basic bicycle repair tools. The station is close to the 5.8km bicycle route from Yuli to Fuli (富里).
“Based on our rating system, Antong is a two-star cyclist stop,” Chou said. “The ‘five-star’ stops are mainly in Hualien, Taitung or at other big stations.”
Aside from the Antong station, the bureau is planning to turn the Tzuchiang tunnel on the old east coast railway route into a cycling tunnel similar to the Old Caoling Tunnel (舊草嶺隧道) in Fulung (福隆).
Chou said an electronic cycling route map can be downloaded from www.showmap.com.tw/bike/default/.
Mobile phones equipped with software that can read two-dimensional code can download the route maps from e-map systems installed at tourist destinations, bus stops or bicycle rental shops, the bureau said.
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