Starting today, a variety of railway memorabilia, including pocket watches used by train conductors and station masters in the 1950s, will be available for purchase as the nation’s railway celebrates its 121st anniversary and the 100th anniversary of the Western Line connecting Keelung and Kaohsiung.
The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) will mark the occasion by offering 34 types of collectibles, said Lee Kun-kuang, division chief at the TRA’s catering service department.
In addition to 100 pocket watches priced at NT$33,000 each, the TRA is also selling figurines depicting train stewardesses and conductors wearing 1978 TRA uniforms, Lee said over the telephone.
Ticket punchers no longer in use will also be up for grabs by train enthusiasts.
Taiwan has a special relationship with its railways, Lee said. Unlike in the US, the train is a very popular and efficient way to get around. Lee said the TRA hoped the souvenirs would inspire appreciation for the nation’s railway culture and support for Taiwan’s railways to “last forever.”
All the TRA memorabilia will be available at the Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hualien main train stations from Saturday to Monday.
“After June 9 the public can also pick up the souvenirs at the TRA’s Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung stations,” Lee said.
Starting today and until July 17, consumers can also order the souvenirs at 7-Eleven stores.
The idea of building a railway in Taiwan was first suggested in 1887 by Qing Dynasty governor Liu Ming-chuan (劉銘傳), who was appointed the first provincial governor after the dynasty split Taiwan from Fujian Province.
During Japanese colonial rule, the railway became the most important system of transport between the north and the south.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
RSS