By MOOK Scenic Spots / Wu Pin-xuan, compiled and reported
Rail Bikes, which rose to fame in South Korea, became a huge hit after being featured on the Korean variety show *Running Man*. Tourist spots like Gangchon and Jeju Island now have railway bike services. Representatives from Miaoli’s government, industry, and academia visited South Korea for a slow city exchange program and studied the operation model of railway bicycles. Upon returning to Taiwan, they are actively working to develop the old Mountain Line in Sanyi into a new railway bicycle tourism attraction.
Miaoli County Government group visited three RAIL BIKE routes in South Korea (Photo / Miaoli County Government)
To promote the “Slow City Movement” and the Old Mountain Line RAIL BIKE project, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications plans to subsidize 300 million NTD to build a railway bicycle system. In the future, it will integrate the cultural heritage of the old mountain railway, Hakka culture, and surrounding attractions along the 130-kilometer Sanyi route, connecting eight tunnels and four stations, allowing visitors to experience the thrill of cycling on rails.
The vehicles and tracks have completed testing and have entered the investment attraction phase, with trial operations expected by the end of the year. (Photo / Miaoli County Government)
Sanyi Township was certified as an International Slow City last year. The RAIL BIKE, with its green energy tourism appeal, will be a major tourist highlight for Sanyi as a Slow City. The initial planned RAIL BIKE route stretches approximately 3.6 kilometers from Shengxing Station on the old mountain line to the Longteng Broken Bridge, with potential future extensions to connect with the old mountain railway section in Taichung, forming a complete old mountain line railway tourism system.
Shengxing Station in Sanyi Township is a renowned tourist spot on the old mountain line. (Photo / Tourism Bureau, MOTC)
Railway bicycles combine bicycles and trains, using human power to pedal along railway tracks. They are fun and ideal for enjoying the scenery along the way. The Miaoli County delegation believes that the railway resources, surrounding environment, and attractions of the Sanyi Old Mountain Line are superior to those of South Korea’s railway bike sites, and they are very optimistic about the future development of the Sanyi Old Mountain Line railway bicycles.
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