2020/10/13
The farewell party of Zhushan Station for reconstruction was held by the Alishan Forestry Railway and Cultural Heritage Office (AFR) on October 13. On the eve of the reconstruction, together with the representatives of the Tsou, the friends of Alishan, and students of nearby schools, we celebrated the beginning of the reconstruction project and witnessed this historic moment.
At 2,451 meters above sea level, Zhushan Station is the highest station of the railway in Taiwan. It is also the first mountain railway built by the Taiwanese. It was built in 1975 for tourists to watch the sunrise. After 34 years, we will start the reconstruction of Zhushan Station on October 14 (2020) in order to improve the service quality of the Zhushan Line. The construction period is expected to be 17 months.
Huang Miao-Hsiu, AFR Director, said that due to the age of Zhushan Station, its functions are no longer in line with the present-day needs of tourists. The new station building is designed with the image of clouds and mists surrounding the mountains. The natural topographic gradient of the station is integrated into the platform, front hall, main staircase, and observation deck through the white cloud-shaped roof, just like the sea of clouds. After passing through the clouds and waves and get onboard the observation deck, passengers will be greeted by the outstanding sunrise.
In addition, the new station building has also been designed to let the sunlight naturally penetrate the entire station space. After the reconstruction of Zhushan Station, in addition to the improvement of barrier-free facilities, aesthetics, and various service facilities, it will also be an environmentally friendly energy-saving station.
The activity was kicked off by the students of Xianglin Elementary School with their tap dance performance. Afterward, former stationmasters of Zhushan Station, a former driver, and a former civil engineer of AFR were invited to share their memories of Zhushan Station. Huang Miao-Hsiu expressed her gratitude to all the good friends who came to Zhushan Station to memorize the station. We gathered across generations and looked forward to the new Zhushan Station, which will be equipped with an elegant look and better service facilities.
The "Zhushan Rebuild" theme train, which was launched on the day of the farewell event, was immediately sold out when its reservation was opened. In order to strengthen the memory and attachment to AFR, we invited the students of Xianglin Elementary School and Shizi Elementary school to experience the ride, which helps the inheritance of the forest railway as cultural heritage.
Due to the reconstruction project of Zhushan Station, the Zhushan Line Sunrise Train will terminate at Duigaoyue Station on October 14 (2020). The nearby observation deck is also a good spot for watching the sunrise, where the annual "Alishan Sunrise Impression Concert" has been held. It only takes a 1-kilometer-long walk from Duigaoyue Station to the Zhushan observation deck and Mt. Ogasawara observation deck. The walk takes about 20 to 30 minutes to watch the sunrise and the beauty of Alishan.