The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today.
The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said.
It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the way to Alishan Station with an hour-long stop at Fenqihu (奮起湖), Chou said.
An 11:50am train is to depart from Alishan for Chiayi, while a 2pm train is to leave from Shizilu for Chiayi.
Tickets for trains between Saturday and July 16 are to go on sale at 2pm today on the ticketing Web site.
The journey along the entire line to Alishan is to cost NT$600.
Tickets for the full journey to Alishan Station are to go on sale 14 days ahead of time. If seats are still available, bookings would open for the section between Chiayi and Fenqihu three days in advance.
In operation since 1912, the 71.4km Alishan Forest Railway was initially built to transport timber down the mountain, but is now used for recreational purposes.
Sections near the end of the line have remained closed since 2009 following damage from Typhoon Morakot.
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