A century-old railway station is returned to its original home in Taipei City, fostering awareness of the facility’s rich history.
After nearly three decades, the historic Xinbeitou railway station was returned home April 1 to Taipei City’s Beitou District. First opened 101 years previously during Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945), it was the sole station on a branch line departing from Beitou Station on the Taipei-Tamsui railway. The 1.2-kilometer offshoot, known as the Hot Spring Line, was Taiwan’s first tourist-focused rail service, designed to transport visitors to the dozens of bathhouses in the famed hot spring resort area of Xinbeitou.
The station was scheduled to be demolished in 1988 after the Taipei-Tamsui railway was replaced by the Taipei metro’s Tamsui Line, which uses much of its predecessor’s track. It was granted a reprieve when Li Chung-yao (李重耀), an architect and preservation advocate, convinced the operators of Taiwan Folk Village to host the structure at the theme park in central Taiwan’s Changhua County. Owner Taiwan Railways Administration agreed to sell the striking cypress wood station for NT$1 (US$0.03) and it was dismantled and shipped south for reassembly.
In March 1997, the Taipei metro’s Xinbeitou branch line commenced operations, fostering memories of the old station among cultural promotion activists, historians and residents, and generating interest in restoring the structure to its former home. Agreeing that the station should be preserved at its original site, the property management company for Taiwan Folk Village, which went bankrupt in 2007, donated the building to Taipei City Government, and it was once again disassembled and transported across the country.
With the Taipei metro’s Xinbeitou terminus occupying the location of its forerunner, the station was reconstructed at a site some 50 meters from where it first stood. While the structure no longer welcomes passengers, it now serves as a vivid reminder of a fascinating page of local history.
—by Jim Hwang
Xinbeitou station reopened April 1, the 101st anniversary of its establishment, in Taipei City’s Beitou District.
The station was reassembled using time-honored construction techniques and as many of the original materials as possible.
The station’s role has shifted from providing transportation services to showcasing the area’s history and culture.