The Century-old Tainan Railway Station: Witnessing a Better Tainan

By MOOK Scenic Spots, compiled and reported

Its features include three round arches on the main façade’s porch, plus one additional round arch on each side, and a circular ventilation window on each of the left and right corner walls. The eaves are adorned with delicate relief decorations. The second floor of the building’s front has seven round arched long windows, with the middle three framed by four pilasters. Originally, a round clock was embedded above the central long window, and the flat roof’s upper front had a small gable, currently covered by an electronic clock panel, with plans to restore it to a traditional round clock in the future. The exterior of the station emphasizes practical simplicity, with the upper part of the outer wall clad in ceramic tiles, and the thick belt course made of artificial stone.

When the railway station was completed, the second floor housed a Western-style hotel, including a public telephone room, restaurant, changing rooms, and more, making it the most luxurious and modern station of its time. Currently, for safety and maintenance reasons, it is not open to the public. However, the plan to revive the railway hotel has been completed, and it is expected that in three years, the station hotel and restaurant will reopen with the appearance of the 1936 era restored. At present, Tainan Railway Station largely retains its Japanese colonial-era architectural style. Visitors who have been to Japan may notice similarities between some Japanese stations and platforms and those at Tainan Station. For example, the platform at Tosu Station in Kitakyushu, Japan, is very similar to Tainan Station’s Platform 1; in appearance, it also resembles Otaru Station in Hokkaido. Tainan Station, one of the large-scale station buildings from the Japanese colonial period along with Taipei Station, has become Taiwan’s only remaining representative of such architecture after Taipei Station’s renovation. To this day, it ranks as the fourth busiest in Taiwan in terms of daily passenger traffic, exceeding 50,000 people.

The Reality and Romance of a Railway Station Master in Tainan Speaking of railway culture, the Japanese film “Railway Man” depicts the emotions and life of a station master, played by Takakura Ken, who devoted himself dutifully to his post for decades, once moving countless viewers. Current Tainan Railway Station Master Xu Zhuping said, “Being a railway station master is indeed a romantic profession. Amid the bustling flow of people, you witness many stories of joy and sorrow, partings and reunions, all intertwining, happening, and continuing here.”