The Shenmu branch line of the Alishan Forest Railway, which was closed for more than eight months after a deadly accident, was reopened yesterday ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.
Service on the Shenmu line resumed with a schedule of about 10 trips a day, the first of which left Alishan Station at 10:15am yesterday, the Chiayi Forest District Office said.
However, in the interest of safety, passenger load has been limited to 70 passengers per carriage, the office said.
Last April, a train on the Shenmu line derailed, killing five passengers and injuring 113. Three Alishan railway branch lines — Shenmu (神木), Chushan (竹山) and Jhaoping (沼平) — were subsequently suspended for safety inspections
The Shenmu line was the last to resume service, after the Chushan and Jhaoping lines were reopened in October last year and last month respectively.
The Shenmu line runs 1.8km from Alishan Station to Shenmu. The 10-minute trip costs NT$50 one way and NT$80 return. For passengers eligible for discounts, a one way ticket is NT$25 and the return fare NT$40.
The Alishan Forest Railway, which was constructed for logging during the Japanese colonial era, has been transporting visitors to the Alishan National Scenic Area since 1963.
Shenmu Station, located 2,138m above sea level, was named after the famous Alishan Sacred Tree that was more than 3,000 years old. The tree was known as Shenmu, before being toppled in a storm in 1997.
The railway’s main line, which connects Chiayi and Alishan, has been closed for repairs since 2009 following Typhoon Morakot.
A Taiwanese software developer has created a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model to help people use AI without exposing sensitive data, project head Huang Chung-hsiao (黃崇校) said yesterday. Huang, a 55-year-old coder leading a US-based team, said that concerns over data privacy and security in popular generative AIs such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek motivated him to develop a personal AI assistant named “Mei.” One of the biggest security flaws with cloud-based algorithms is that users are required to hand over personal information to access the service, giving developers the opportunity to mine user data, he said. For this reason, many government agencies and
The National Fire Agency on Thursday said a series of drills simulating a magnitude 8.5 earthquake would be held in September to enhance the government’s emergency response capabilities. Since earthquakes cannot be predicted, only by continuously promoting disaster prevention measures could Taiwan enhance its resilience to earthquakes, agency Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang (蕭煥章) said in a news release. The exercises would be held to mark annual National Disaster Prevention Day on Sept. 21, the aim of which is to test Taiwan’s preparedness and improve its earthquake resilience in case of a major temblor, Hsiao said. As part of those drills, an earthquake alert would
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
STRICTER ENFORCEMENT: Taipei authorities warned against drunk cycling after a sharp rise in riding under the influence, urging greater public awareness of its illegality Taipei authorities have issued a public warning urging people not to ride bicycles after consuming alcohol, following a sharp rise in riding under the influence (DUI) cases involving bicycles. Five hundred and seven people were charged with DUI last year while riding YouBikes, personal bicycles, or other self-propelled two-wheelers — a fourfold increase from the previous year, data released by the Taipei Police Department’s Traffic Division showed. Of these, 33 cases were considered severe enough to be prosecuted under “offenses against public safety,” the data showed. Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), bicycles — including YouBikes and other
RSS