The “Vivid Express,” a new tourist train on the Alishan Forest Railway, is set to start operating on May 24, providing passengers with a series of package journey options along the low-lying section of Taiwan’s only alpine railway and the Alishan National Scenic Area.
Lion Travel Service Co, which promotes the train in cooperation with the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, said last week that bookings can be made for a range of different package tours online, including a basic NT$5,500 two-day package. More expensive options include staying in a hotel inside the recreational area with a 4am trip to the top of Alishan to watch the sunrise.
Tickets to Alishan National Scenic Area are NT$200 for Taiwanese and NT$300 for foreign nationals.
Photo courtesy of Lion Travel Service Co via CNA
The two-day package costing NT$5,500 includes bus transportation from Taipei to Chiayi City, a series of local activities and spend a night at a business hotel. The next day travelers make the one way trip to Fengqihu (奮起湖), 1,400m above sea level.
For this particular package travelers go to Fengqihu, by bus and return on the “Vivid Express,” where they can see the sunset as they make the return journey to Chiayi.
Initially, the “Vivid Express” is to make the journey once a week, but journeys could soon be increased depending on demand.
Photo courtesy of the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office
The new tourist train service features two private box cars that accommodate 11 passengers each, as well as 38 seats in the remaining three cars with seats that can rotate 360°, the travel agency said.
The train, which has large windows, is blue and white with a livery that includes the collared bush robin, a species endemic to Taiwan that be found on Alishan, it said.
To provide passengers with an in-depth travel experience, there would be a guide in each carriage, the company said, adding that there would also be special train meals made from local ingredients including cherry blossoms, chives and wasabi.
The route is expected to continue to Erwanping Station (二萬平車站), 2,000m above sea level, Lion Travel said.
The 71.4km Alishan Forest Railway, which has been in operation since 1912, was initially built to transport timber down the mountains, but is now used for recreational purposes, carrying passengers to the popular Alishan scenic area, although the full route has not been in in operation since 2009 when it was damaged by Typhoon Morakot.
The area, one of the top attractions for international tourists, has magnificent views of ancient Formosan red cypress and misty forests, which can be seen from the windows of the Alishan trains.
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