The Alishan Forest Railway resumes operation, with the first Zhushan Line service departing tomorrow

Text by Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

The Alishan Forest Railway has been suspended since an accident on April 27, 100 (2011), until now. After six months of investigation and restoration, it has been confirmed that the accident was caused by a naturally broken tree branch hitting the train carriage. The restoration work has now been completed, and the Forestry Bureau has scheduled the railway to reopen at 5:00 AM on October 27. The first train departs from Alishan Station to Zhushan Station. The sunrise time on that day is approximately 6:25 AM, so three services are planned to depart from Alishan Station at 5:00, 5:15, and 5:30 AM.

The cause of the Alishan accident was determined by experts to be the natural breakage of a tree branch that struck the carriage, leading to the train derailing. During the suspension period, the forest railway adjusted the steel rails and sleepers, and installed protective measures at sections of the route and bridges where there was a risk of carriages derailing. Experts and scholars were also invited to establish principles for inspecting trees along both sides of the railway. Trees that might affect the safety of operations on the Zhushan and Shenshu Lines were removed, and regular tree inspections are conducted. Daily health checks are carried out on trees along both sides of the railway.

The Alishan forest train originally accommodated 84 passengers per carriage, but this has now been limited to 70. Staff are also assigned at stations to guide passengers boarding. The Zhushan sunrise train adjusts its departure time flexibly according to the time of sunrise, usually departing 1–2 hours before sunrise. Information will be announced at stations, passenger service centers, and hotels. Travelers may also call the service hotline: 05-2679-200.