Traffic jams while flower viewing are so painful！Chiayi’s Alishan launches “Rail-Road Combo Ticket” for a relaxing cherry blossom trip up the mountain

▲ The Chiayi to Alishan Rail-Road Combo Ticket was launched starting March 1. (Photo / from the “A New Impression of Alishan” Facebook fan page)

Reported by Chen Hanyin / Compiled report

As the annual cherry blossom season arrives, the Alishan Flower Festival will also kick off in full swing on March 10. To cope with the crowds, traffic management measures will be implemented on weekends. To encourage visitors to use public transportation, Chiayi Bus and the Alishan Forest Railway Administration jointly launched the “Chiayi to Alishan Rail-Road Combo Ticket” starting March 1, making it easy for people to head up the mountain to enjoy the blossoms.

▲ The Alishan Flower Festival makes a romantic debut, with traffic controls to be enforced starting March. (Photo / from the “Strolling in the Clouds at Alishan” fan page)

By taking the Rail-Road Combo Ticket in collaboration between the Alishan Forest Railway and Chiayi Bus, travelers can take the forest railway to Fenchihu and then transfer to a county bus to reach the Alishan sightseeing area—enjoying a less congested and more pleasant journey to view the flowers. Additionally, during the flower season, the Alishan Forest Railway’s Zhaoping Line will operate specified steam locomotive services with four cedar wood carriages on Wednesday mornings.

Steam locomotive operation dates and schedules:
Dates: March 10, March 15, March 22, March 29, April 5
Alishan Station → Zhaoping Station: (37) 10:30, (39) 11:00, (41) 11:30
Zhaoping Station → Alishan Station: (38) 10:45, (40) 11:15, (42) 11:45

Ticket booking rules and precautions are as follows:
1. Bus schedule: Fenchihu to Alishan, one bus each day at 11:30 and 12:50.
2. Booking window: Up to 15 days before the travel date (inclusive). For example: February 15 opens for bookings for the March 1 Chiayi County Bus trip from Fenchihu to Alishan.
3. Booking hours: Daily from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM within the booking window.
4. Booking route: Fenchihu Station to Alishan Station
5. Passenger limit: Maximum 10 passengers per trip per day.
6. Ticket pick-up location: Alishan Forest Railway Chiayi Station ticket office
7. Ticket pick-up time: Daily from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and tickets must be collected at least 30 minutes before the forest railway train departure.