Traffic control over Chinese New Year at Taroko Gorge – free park shuttle buses on the 3rd to 5th of the Lunar New Year

▲ Taroko Wuling. (Photo / Courtesy of Taroko National Park website)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

To alleviate the surge of vehicles and crowds during the consecutive holiday period at Tarako Gorge, and to provide visitors with a high-quality park experience, the annually operated"Taroko Free Park Shuttle Service" will offer free rides to the public from the 3rd to the 5th day of the Lunar New Year in 2016. Traffic controls will also be enforced. The outbound buses will depart from Xincheng Railway Station and Buluowan at 7:00 AM, with departures approximately every 10–15 minutes.Additionally, bilingual brochures for the shuttle service have been printed for visitors to pick up, allowing tourists to easily explore the beautiful sights of Taroko Gorge.

Below are details regarding the shuttle service:

1. Will there be a free park shuttle service at Taroko Gorge this Spring Festival? What are the specific implementation dates and traffic control details?
Answer: Yes, as in previous years, Taroko National Park will provide a free park shuttle service this Spring Festival.The service will run from February 10 to 12, 2016 (the 3rd to 5th days of the Lunar New Year).Traffic controls will be implemented along a section of Central Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway 8), from kilometer 169.3 to 187.5 (i.e., between Tianxiang and the Taroko Gorge entrance), as well as from the northern end of Taroko Bridge to the northern end of Jinwen Bridge (i.e., the old Provincial Highway 9). Controls will be in place daily from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM for traffic heading from the Taroko Gorge entrance toward Tianxiang—no vehicles will be allowed during that time. For traffic heading from Tianxiang toward the Taroko Gorge entrance, the control period is daily from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, with a 30-minute release period at 11:30 AM each day.

2. Will all vehicles be prohibited from passing through during the "Spring Festival Shuttle Control Period"?
Answer: During the Spring Festival control period, aside from the park shuttle buses, regularly scheduled passenger buses, and Class A and B large buses (tour buses) that have applied for a pass, all other vehicles are prohibited from entering the controlled areas during the designated times.

3. Is there a fee to take the Spring Festival park shuttle bus? What are the routes and stops for round trips?
Answer:The Spring Festival park shuttle service is completely free of charge.The service operates on three lines, with the routes and stops as follows:As follows:
1. Xincheng Station ↔ Tianxiang Full Route Line: Outbound buses depart from Xincheng Railway Station, making stops at Taroko Gas Station, Visitor Center, Shakadang, Swallow Grotto Trail (disembark at east entrance), Jinhen Bridge (board here), Lushui, and Tianxiang. Return buses depart from Tianxiang, making stops at Changchun Shrine, Taroko Archway, and Xincheng Railway Station, operating in a loop to transfer visitors.

2. Xincheng Station ↔ Buluowan Sectional Line: Outbound buses depart from Xincheng Railway Station, making stops at Taroko Gas Station, Visitor Center, Shakadang, and Buluowan. Return buses depart from Buluowan, making stops at Changchun Shrine, Taroko Archway, and Xincheng Railway Station, operating in a loop to transfer visitors.

3. Buluowan ↔ Tianxiang Sectional Line: Outbound buses depart from Buluowan, making stops at Swallow Grotto Trail (disembark at east entrance), Jinhen Bridge (board here), Lushui, and Tianxiang. Return buses depart from Tianxiang directly to Buluowan, operating in a loop to transfer visitors.

4. What are the exact departure times for the Spring Festival park shuttle buses? Are there any other important notes?
Answer:The first outbound bus departs from Xincheng Railway Station at 7:00 AM. Buses leave as soon as they’re full, roughly every 10–15 minutes. The last outbound bus is at 1:00 PM. The last return bus departs from Tianxiang at 2:30 PM.Visitors should pay attention to shuttle bus schedules while sightseeing.

Taroko National Park will distribute 20,000 free bilingual brochures for the park shuttle service for the public to pick up, and shuttle service information will be available at each stop. For more details, please visit theTaroko National Park website.Search.

▲DM for the 105th Year Taroko Free Park Shuttle. (Photo / Courtesy ofTaroko National Park Administration)

Taroko National Park
Location: No. 291, Fushi Village, Xiulin Township, Hualien County
Opening Hours: 08:30～17:00

105th Year Taroko Spring Festival Park Shuttle
Dates: 2016/02/10～2016/02/12
Departure Times: Daily 07:00～14:30