The Keelung City Government said it has begun restoration of the country’s first railway tunnel, the Liu Ming-chuan Tunnel (劉銘傳隧道), and expects restorations to be completed by 2021.
The tunnel, which took two years to build, opened in 1890, but was only used for about seven years due to sharp turns and steep gradients, and was replaced with another one nearby, the city government said.
The Liu Ming-chuan Tunnel has been designated a historical site by the city and in the past attracted many visitors, but water has seeped in and parts of it have collapsed, Keelung Cultural Affairs Bureau Director Chen Ching-ping (陳靜萍) said at the restoration project’s groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday last week.
Photo: Lin Hsin-han, Taipei Times
The city plans to pump out the water and reseal the tunnel, hoping to turn it into a “railway culture park,” she said.
Liu Ming-chuan (劉銘傳), for whom the tunnel was named, was Taiwan’s first inspector-general during the Qing Dynasty.
The Qing court realized the importance of Taiwan after the Sino-French War, which was fought from 1884 to 1885 in northern Vietnam, parts of eastern China and northern Taiwan.
Liu commissioned the railway in 1888 with the intent to protect Taiwan against foreign belligerents.
Because the topography of Shih- ciouling Mountain (獅球嶺山) is complex and therefore difficult to drill, engineers built the 235m tunnel in seven parts that were reinforced with brick walls and joined.
A unique feature of the tunnel is that its arched roof is roughly 4.26m higher at one end than at the other, because work was done on different sections at the same time, the city said.
Following the Sino-Japanese War and Japanese occupation of Taiwan in 1895, the tunnel was closed because it was deemed unusable due to its design and steepness.
It was replaced three years later with the Jhuzihling Tunnel (竹仔嶺), built 1km away, which connected to Keelung (then known as Kirun Town).
The city closed the tunnel to visitors 10 years ago after the collapse of some sections and because of the strong wind that passes through it.
Restoration of the Liu Ming-chuan Tunnel had been delayed until now due to repeated changes in plans and the need for approval from the central government following each change, the city said.
The contract was awarded in July with a budget of NT$50 million (US$1.61 million), with a work schedule of roughly 600 days, it said.
Engineers originally estimated a budget of NT$100 million for the restoration work, but this was cut in half using 3D scanning and other modern technology that allowed them to get a better grasp of the tunnel’s dimensions, Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said.
He hopes the engineers can complete the work according to the new, shortened schedule, while retaining the original characteristics of the tunnel, he said.
Specialists who examined the tunnel after its closure found evidence of “hidden rooms” above its archways, which they hoped could be opened up as part of the restoration, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said.
The city also plans restoration projects for other historical sites nearby, including Shihciouling Fort, and hopes the whole area can become a tourist destination, Lin said.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
Taiwan’s Li Yu-hsiang performs in the men’s singles figure skating short program at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Li finished 24th with a score of 72.41 to advance to Saturday’s free skate portion of the event. He is the first Taiwanese to qualify for the free skate of men’s singles figure skating at the Olympics since David Liu in 1992.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday held a ceremony marking the delivery of its 11th Anping-class offshore patrol vessel Lanyu (蘭嶼艦), saying it would boost Taiwan’s ability to respond to Beijing’s “gray zone” tactics. Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chang Chung-Lung (張忠龍) presided over the CGA event in the Port of Kaoshiung. Representatives of the National Security Council also attended the event. Designed for long-range and protracted patrol operations at sea, the Lanyu is a 65.4m-long and 14.8m-wide ship with a top speed of 44 knots (81.5kph) and a cruising range of 2,000 nautical miles (3704km). The vessel is equipped with a
RSS