Alishan Forest Railway

Alishan Forest Railway was constructed during the Japanese colonial era for the extraction of valuable cypress and Taiwania timber from the mountains of central Taiwan. Initial surveying began in 1900, and after a rough start, the initial railway line was completed to Zhaoping (沼平) by 1914. This 762mm narrow-gauge system ascends from Chiayi Railway Station at 30 meters elevation to Alishan at 2,216 meters, passing through stations including Zhuqi and Fenqihu, with distinctive engineering features such as Z-shaped switchbacks and a spiral section around Dulishan (獨立山). The Dodoka Line (哆哆咖線) extended the system into Nantou County, though much of this branch was later converted into the New Central Cross-Island Highway (新中橫公路), which was never finished. Following the completion of the Alishan Highway in 1982, the railway transitioned from timber transport to tourism; operations have been intermittently disrupted by natural disasters including the 921 Earthquake and Typhoon Morakot (2008), with the main line fully resuming service in 2024 after extensive reconstruction. Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture has designated the system as one of 18 potential World Heritage Sites.