The unique character of the branch lines
The resurgence of the minor stations has been paralleled by the return of tourism to the branch lines. Aside from the well-known Pingxi, Jiji and Neiwan lines, the opening of the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology in Keelung in 2014 spurred the reopening of the Shen’ao Line, which had been withdrawn from service.
“If the TRA main lines are the main dishes, the branch lines are like side dishes offering different flavors,” says Professor Su Zhaoxu, a railway expert. Which branch line is his favorite? Su explains with a chuckle that in his view each branch line has its own special characteristics.
For example, he says, “Riding the Shen’ao Line is all about the sea views.” From Ruifang Station to Badouzi Station, the Shen’ao Line hugs the sea along Taiwan’s Northeast Coast with mountains on one side and water on the other, presenting a romantic spectacle reminiscent of the Enoshima Electric Railway that runs through the Shōnan coastal area in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture.
The Shen’ao Line, located in the northeastern corner of Taiwan, is at present the northernmost TRA branch line and the one with the steepest gradient. The origins of the line can be traced to 1936, when the Japanese Mining Corporation built a light rail line at Liandong (Shuinandong) on the coast below Jinguashi to transport minerals to the harbor. The next year it was extended through Shen’ao and Badouzi to Bachimen. This freight line was also used by local residents to travel between Ruifang and Keelung.
Because of the construction of Provincial Highway 2, which runs along the coast, and the decommissioning of the Shen’ao Coal Power Plant, the rail line ceased operating for a time. Service was revived only after the opening of the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology in Badouzi, Keelung, when the Shen’ao Line once again became a scenic coastal route.
The Old Mountain Line, running between Sanyi in Miaoli and Fengyuan in Taichung, which was for a time included in the cruise-style train tourism program, offers spectacular mountain vistas entirely different from the coastal Shen’ao Line.
The Old Mountain Line passes by the ruined Yutengping Bridge (better known as the Longteng Bridge), and is considered a potential World Heritage Site. The bridge was damaged beyond repair by an earthquake in 1935. Although the Old Mountain Line has now been superseded by the New Mountain Line, its construction in 1908 was of epochal significance. Running from Sanyi in the north to Fengyuan in the south, the line constituted the last stretch of Taiwan’s western main line. At that time, the sections of the line north of Miaoli and south of Taichung were already in service. Connecting them together would create a single transportation network running the length of Taiwan. Because the Mountain Line helped link the north and the south, it became common to say that the opening of the Mountain Line connected the whole island.
Author Liu Ka-shiang has described Shanli as the “unreachable station,” capturing something of its atmosphere of a lost world.