While the basic infrastructure of cycling paths in the nation’s northeast is in place, some residents say that the New Taipei City Government could go one step further, calling on the it to repurpose railway tunnels in Santiago (三貂嶺) and Sanguazi (三瓜子) into cyclist routes connecting Ruifang District’s (瑞芳) Houtong Township (猴硐) to Shuangsi District’s (雙溪) Mudan region (牡丹).
According to locals, the old Yilan County railway during the Japanese colonial period passed through nine tunnels between the now Ruifang and Shuangsi districts, making it the most tunnel-dense route in the county and leading to the saying of “A dollar through nine holes,” (一錢鑽九坑), as it only cost ¥1 (US$0.01 at today’s exchange rate) for a ticket on the route.
Locals said the Santiago and Sanguazi tunnels opposite the Santiago train station were closed in 1984, as the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) had said that train tunnels should allow parallel tracks.
Photo: Lin Hsin-han, Taipei Times
Locals said that repurposing old tunnels in Mudan, Santiago, Houtong and Sihjiaoting (四腳亭) into bike paths had been one of the first policies that Eric Chu (朱立倫) promised when he first ran for New Taipei City mayor in 2010. However, the city government had not yet finished what it promised, the locals said.
The city government had finished a path leading through three tunnels from the Ruifang TRA station to Yuanshan (員山), as well as a trail from the Houtong tunnels, locals said, adding that on the Shuangsi district side, the city government had also completed paths allowing cyclists to visit Pingsi (平溪), Gongliao (貢寮) and Mudan.
However, the greenways connecting Santiago to Mudan were blocked by the Santiago and Sanguazi tunnels, which residents called a “beautiful mistake.”
Ruifang District Warden Chien Hua-hsiang (簡華祥) said that the Fulong bike path near Gongliao Township had repurposed parts of the Caoling (草嶺) old tunnels, adding that he hoped the city’s bureau of tourism would look into connecting the two paths.
Shuangsi District Warden Chen Chi-cheng (陳奇正) said that repurposing the old tunnels would help attract more tourists to the area.
New Taipei City Department of Tourism and Travel Director Chen Kuo-chun (陳國君) said that if the city government is to repurpose the Santiago tunnels for biking purposes, it would have to look into whether it would be safe.
The tunnels would have to be able to provide temporary shelter in the case of disasters and be accessible for emergency medical care, Chen Kuo-chun said, adding that if the tunnels connected Houtong to Shuangsi, the area would need a focus to help attract tourists.
The department is assessing the tourism benefits and would decide on a course of action by the end of the month, Chen Kuo-chun said, adding that the department was also looking into recognizing the tunnels as historic heritage sites.
Local culture and history expert Lin Wen-ching (林文清) said that if the tunnels could link Shuangsi to Ruifang, the city government would accomplish its goal of establishing a cycling circuit around Keelung.
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