The Jiji Line (集集線), one of the nation’s heritage railway routes, will be closed in March because seven of its tunnels between Zhuoshui (濁水) Station and Checheng (車埕) are in need of immediate repairs, the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) said last week.
Construction of the line began in 1919 and was completed in 1921. It was purchased by the Japanese colonial government in 1927. The line was severely damaged in the 921 Earthquake in 1999 and did not resume operations until 2002.
The TRA said the seven tunnels to be repaired were built between 1925 and 1960 and their interior walls cracked after the 921 quake.
TRA maintenance work to shore up the tunnels reduced the space inside to the point that only small diesel-powered trains can pass through.
The renovation work will begin on March 1 and end on Jan. 14, next year. During that period, trains will only operate between Ershui (二水) and Longquan (龍泉) stations.
The TRA has arranged with two bus operators to transport passengers from Longquan to Chencheng and will pay them about NT$8.96 million (US$280,000) to cover the ticket costs.
The TRA will also start taking reservations today for special cruise train services to the East Coast this weekend, which are part of celebration of the 30th anniversary of its North Link. The trip will include a brief steam train ride from Hualien to Chungde (崇德), with a CK-124 model locomotive pulling the train.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
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