Alishan Forest Railway (Chinese: 阿里山森林鐵路; pinyin: Ālǐshān Sēnlín Tiělù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: A-lí-san Sim-lîm Thih-lō͘) is an 86 km network of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railways running up to and throughout the popular mountain resort of Alishan in Chiayi County, Taiwan. The railway, originally constructed for logging, has become a tourist attraction with its rare Z-shaped switchbacks, and over 50 tunnels and 77 wooden bridges.[2] Taiwan's Ministry of Culture has listed the forest railway as a potential World Heritage Site.[3]
The narrow gauge lines were originally constructed by the Japanese Colonial Government to facilitate the logging of cypress and Taiwania wood.[5] Preliminary surveying was conducted in 1900 and route planning began in 1903, but the project was shelved in 1904 due to the Russo-Japanese War. In 1906, the Japanese Government contracted the Osaka-based Fujita-gumi to build the railroad. The company laid tracks from Kagi (Chiayi) to Rienryō (Liyuanliao) and imported 13-ton Shay locomotives to run on the tracks, but financial troubles and technical difficulties in construction in the mountainous terrain forced them to abandon the project in 1908. In 1910, the Japanese Government took interest in the abandoned railroad and decided to finish it themselves, also importing 18-ton Shays for the job. The tracks were extended to Alisan (Zhaoping) in 1913, marking the completion of the main line.[6]
The Alishan Forest Railway became a major tourist railway when the tracks were extended to Niitakaguchi (新高口) in 1933. The station was located very close to Mount Niitaka (now Yu Shan), the highest mountain in Taiwan and the Japanese Empire, and the hike to the summit could be completed in seven to eleven hours, depending on the health of the individual. To cater to hikers, the railway operated an express service from Kagi to Niitakaguchi that only stopped at Shōhei; hikers would stay overnight at a lodge at Niitakaguchi and summit the next day.[7][8]
Diesel railcars supplemented the steam engines on the passenger services. In the 1980s, 10 Hitachi-built diesel-hydraulic locomotives were delivered and replaced the railcars and remaining steam engines.
The completion of the Alishan Highway in 1982 led to the loss of many rail passengers to faster and cheaper buses and the rail became primarily a tourist attraction.[2]
Accidents on the line have resulted in a number of fatalities over the years. On 24 April 1981, a collapsed tunnel resulted in nine deaths and 13 injuries. On 1 March 2003, 17 people were killed and 156 injured when a train derailed near Alishan Railway Station.[9] On 27 April 2011, five tourists, including three from mainland China, were killed and 113 people injured in a derailment.[10]
In addition, services have been repeatedly disrupted due to damages from landslides. The main line from Chiayi to Alishan has been partially closed since 2009 due to damages cause by landslides during Typhoon Morakot in 2009 and Typhoon Dujuan (2015). The line underwent repairs and resumed full operation in July 2024, after some delays.[11][12][13]In August 2015, the Chiayi-Fenqihu section was briefly closed due to damages during Typhoon Soudelor.[14]
In order to further boost tourism in the region, on 5 December 2018 the Alishan Forest Railway commenced a "sister railway" partnership with Čierny Hron Railway in Slovakia;[15] the Alishan Forest Railway has since partnered with nine other companies across five different countries.[16]
The railway was privatized through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) in June 2008[17] and maintained by the Hungtu Alishan International Development Corporation.[18] On 1 May 2013, the management of the railway was taken over by Taiwan Railways Administration. On 1 July 2018, the railway was taken over by the newly established Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office of the Forestry Bureau.[19]
The system is currently operated using diesel locomotives, although there are occasional special public runs using the old steam powered Shay locomotives.[20]
The main line originally ran from the city of Chiayi (elevation 30 m), to Alishan (elevation 2,216 m), but is currently partially closed past Shizilu. The vegetation along the way changes from tropical to temperate and finally alpine. The line features many switchbacks on the way up the mountain.[21]
On 10 March 2018, Google celebrated the Alishan Forest Railway with a Google Doodle.[26]
With these unique features, the railway has been listed by the Ministry of Culture as one of the 18 potential World Heritage Sites within R.O.C. territories.
