The Jiji Line (集集線), one of the nation’s heritage railway routes, will be closed in March because seven of its tunnels between Zhuoshui (濁水) Station and Checheng (車埕) are in need of immediate repairs, the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) said last week.
Construction of the line began in 1919 and was completed in 1921. It was purchased by the Japanese colonial government in 1927. The line was severely damaged in the 921 Earthquake in 1999 and did not resume operations until 2002.
The TRA said the seven tunnels to be repaired were built between 1925 and 1960 and their interior walls cracked after the 921 quake.
TRA maintenance work to shore up the tunnels reduced the space inside to the point that only small diesel-powered trains can pass through.
The renovation work will begin on March 1 and end on Jan. 14, next year. During that period, trains will only operate between Ershui (二水) and Longquan (龍泉) stations.
The TRA has arranged with two bus operators to transport passengers from Longquan to Chencheng and will pay them about NT$8.96 million (US$280,000) to cover the ticket costs.
The TRA will also start taking reservations today for special cruise train services to the East Coast this weekend, which are part of celebration of the 30th anniversary of its North Link. The trip will include a brief steam train ride from Hualien to Chungde (崇德), with a CK-124 model locomotive pulling the train.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
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