Su-Hua Highway landslide  Tourism Bureau: Travelers can still take trains or flights to reach their destination as usual

Tourism Center / Taipei Report

The Su-Hua Highway has been disrupted due to landslides caused by days of heavy rain, affecting transportation for some travelers heading to Hualien. However, given that current rail and air transport capacity to Hualien is sufficient to meet tourist demand, the Tourism Bureau continues to encourage travelers to use trains or flights to get there.


▲ The Su-Hua Highway has been disrupted due to landslides caused by days of heavy rain. (Photo / from the Su-Hua Highway Real-Time Traffic Facebook page)

Taiwan Railways has added three round-trip pairs (six trains) of electric commuter trains between “Yilan–Hualien” daily to enhance transport capacity, providing approximately 4,300 passenger trips per day. Starting December 15, one additional round-trip pair (two trains) of Tze-Chiang Limited Express trains between “Shulin–Hualien” will be added on weekdays (Monday to Friday), increasing capacity by about 2,300 passengers. On Saturdays and Sundays, one additional round-trip pair (two trains) of Fu-Hsing Semi-Express trains between “Shulin–Hualien” will be added, adding another 2,600 passenger trips.

Regarding air transport, China Airways operates five flights daily on the “Taipei–Hualien” route, offering a total of 720 seats in both directions. Based on traffic data from January to November this year, the average load factor is 66.6%. From December 15 to 18, the average daily load factor was 62.3%, showing no significant change compared to before the disruption, indicating that current air transport capacity remains adequate.

According to the Tourism Bureau, the average number of daily inbound mainland Chinese tour groups is around 4,000, with no signs of cancellations or hotel room abandonments. For transportation, the bureau has requested that mainland Chinese tour groups use rail transport. Since most groups are transported northbound in the morning, there is no overlap or crowding with other travelers going to Hualien. Additionally, the Tourism Bureau stated that Hualien accommodation providers are currently offering attractive discount promotions, delivering great value holiday stays. The Huatung Valley Management Office has also launched the Huatung Flower Sea Tour event to explore Pearl. Furthermore, the 2012 Love Hualien Countdown Party event at the end of the year in Hualien will proceed as scheduled.