“Songshan” is trending hot again！Taiwan and Japan’s Songshan Stations become sister stations

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

“Songshan” is back in the spotlight！Following the unprecedented case of Taiwan and Japan’s Songshan Airports operating direct flights under the same name, Taipei’s Songshan Railway Station has officially become a sister station with Japan’s JR Shikoku Railway Company Songshan Station, marking the first time that Taiwan Railways (TRA) has formed a sister-station relationship with a foreign station sharing the same name. To coincide with the event, TRA has also issued 2,500 sets of commemorative ticket packs and souvenir platform tickets for the public to purchase.

▲ Songshan Station in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. (Photo / from Wikimedia Commons)

Japan’s Songshan Station (松山駅) is located in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. It has been in operation since 1927 and lies on the Yosan Line, right next to the Seto Inland Sea. The station is close to the famous Dogo Onsen. Recently, Matsuyama City also gifted the renowned “Dogo Onsen Mechanical Clock” to Taipei’s Songshan Ciyou Temple, reflecting strong ties between the two cities. On the railway front, after multiple mutual visits, the two stations have finally succeeded in becoming sister stations.

▲ TRA releases commemorative ticket packs and stamps to mark the sister-station partnership between Taiwan and Japan’s Songshan Stations (bottom right). (Photo / fromTRA Songshan Station TRA Songshan Station Facebook fan page)

TRA stated that to coincide with the Songshan sister-station event, a total of 2,500 commemorative ticket packs were issued, each containing two souvenir platform tickets, along with one name-ticket-style ticket each for the TRA Tze-Chiang Limited Express from Songshan to Taipei and the Chu-Kuang Express from Songshan to Nangang. One set contains four tickets and is priced at NT$98. Each person is limited to purchasing five sets. The back of the commemorative tickets features the first-ever Japanese-language introduction to Japan’s Songshan Station, and it is also the first time foreign text has appeared on TRA ticketing products, making them highly collectible.