Taking a train equipped with no air-conditioning while the sun blazes on a hot Taiwanese autumn day might not sound like a pleasant trip to most, but one might be surprised.
A restored “blue train” on Saturday returned to northern Taiwan for the first time since the trains — which were named after the iconic “romantic blue” paint used for the train cars — were replaced decades ago by trains with air-conditioning.
The blue train was the “most high-end” train at the time, and people could reserve seats in advance — a rare luxury for the average person or the second-best choice for the elite when they could not get a ticket on an air-conditioned train, said Chu Sheng-lung (朱聖隆), a train expert.
Photo: CNA
The blue train now regularly runs along the South Link Line between Pingtung County’s Fangliao Township (枋寮) and Taitung, and is known as the Breezy Blue tourism train.
The five-car train traveled from the Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) railway workshop in Pingtung County’s Chaojhou Township (潮州) to Taipei’s Nangang (南港) Railway Station to offer limited tours between Nangang and Yilan Railway Station for nine days starting on Saturday.
The tour was organized by the TRA, the Preparatory Office of National Railway Museum and Lion Travel Service Co as a warm-up event to the Creative Expo Taiwan, which is to run from Friday next week to Oct. 1.
Actress Lu Hsiao-fen (陸小芬) and singer Christine Hsu (許景淳) were invited on the first trip on Saturday. Lu and a blue train both “starred” in the 1983 movie A Flower in a Rainy Night (看海的日子) and Hsu produced the music for the 1986 movie Dust in the Wind (戀戀風塵), which contained scenes shot on a blue train.
TRAVELING IN TIME
After boarding the train, passengers immediately found themselves transported to the 1980s with manual doors, green rotating seats and vintage ceiling fans.
The windows, which can be opened, were the most notable feature, not only because no other trains in Taiwan have openable windows, but also because the open windows made the trip more memorable and enjoyable.
Imagine going for a drive with the windows down and your full attention on the scenery outside without worrying about the traffic or having to stop at traffic lights — that was what it felt like on the blue train. One could hear the swoosh of the wind, the clack-clack of the wheels on the train tracks, the choo-choo of the horns used by the driver as a greeting or warning, but no amount of onomatopoeia could fully bring the experience to life.
The temperature was distinctively different under the sun and in the tunnels, the smells changed when the ocean drew near, and without air-conditioning, passengers’ senses were met with constant surprises that are usually absent from modern trains.
The train slowed down between Dali (大里) Railway Station and Shihcheng (石城) Railway Station from about 70kph to 40kph for passengers to take in the scenery and breeze from the Pacific Ocean.
FOOD
Of course, an outing by train would not be complete without a boxed lunch. The one designed aspecially for the tour came in blue boxes to match the blue train.
The boxed lunch features “cherry ducks” (宜蘭櫻桃鴨) from Yilan and Shaohsing wine chicken thighs, which are popular dishes first launched by the TRA’s Catering Service Center in Keelung’s Qidu District (七堵) and the Taipei Railway Restaurant respectively, the TRA said.
Many train buffs waited on station platforms, on top of hills and near the river along the way for a rare view of the blue train. The passengers waved at them enthusiastically.
Office director Cheng Ming-chang (鄭銘彰) said that there are no plans for the blue train to continue the service on a regular basis in northern Taiwan, but feedback could motivate the TRA to organize more trips.
As one of the five main venues that the 10-day Creative Expo Taiwan is centered around this year, the office would be hosting other activities, the Ministry of Culture said.
Visitors could take a short ride on the restored DR2300 diesel rail car — another blue train model — and blue train boxed lunches would be on sale at the office, the ministry said.
MUSEUM PREVIEW
The Creative Expo would be a “micro-unboxing” of the National Railway Museum at the old site of the Taipei Railway Workshop, a designated national monument, it said.
The office was launched in 2019, and began transforming the workshop into the museum, which is scheduled to be opened to the public in stages until its completion in 2027, the ministry said.
The workshop’s forging factory, passenger train factory, main office and bathhouse would be open to visitors only during the Creative Expo, it said.
The museum is not a museum for train buffs alone, as it invites people from all walks of life to learn about trains and Taiwan’s railway history from angles they might be interested in, such as literature and movies, Cheng said.
Just like the blue train tour, the restoration could bring back memories for some while creating new memories for others, he said.
‘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 magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS