Photos released！Tainan’s “Railway Hotel” to be reborn — Baroque corridor still intact

▲ The second floor of Tainan Railway Station. (Photo / Provided by Taiwan Railways Administration)

As a national second-class historic site, the second floor of Tainan Railway Station once housed a Western-style hotel with only nine rooms, which also operated a restaurant. Now, combining classical and modern elements, Tainan Station is revitalizing its preserved interior spaces and details, and plans to launch a “Tainan Railway Station Hotel Reimagined” in the future, targeting top-tier VIP guests. 《ETtoday Eastday News Cloud》 has obtained and released some internal photos for travelers’ reference. Although the interior still resembles a ruin, remnants of past decorations can still be seen and are worth a look.

 
▲ The Baroque-style corridor remains fully intact, with even the interior lighting fixtures still in place. (Photo / Provided by Taiwan Railways Administration)

The former “Railway Hotel,” one of the few high-end hotels in Tainan at the time, had just nine rooms and catered to a premium market, having hosted numerous foreign dignitaries and high-ranking officials. Each room was equipped with Western-style spring beds, telephones, and more, while the internal restaurant served as a social venue for the elite. Nowadays, if you visit the second-floor space, you can still see the Baroque architectural style, the original window sills and lighting fixtures, as well as the preserved restaurant menus and related details, all of which offer a unique charm.

Xu Zhuping, stationmaster of Tainan Railway Station, stated that the restoration project for the Railway Hotel will commence in the second half of this year. Taiwan Railways Administration noted that detailed restoration and planning are still underway. As the railway station is a second-class historic site, many aspects require further deliberation. Currently, it is known that plans are being made to revitalize the space for adaptive reuse, and the future service will feature fewer rooms and cater to an exclusive, top-tier clientele.

 
▲ A former restaurant menu. (Photo / Provided by Taiwan Railways Administration)