On average, the 350-some stations of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) throughout the country and the metro systems in Taipei and Kaohsiung service approximately 2.6 million people per day. Many passengers routinely just enter stations, get on and off trains, and exit from other stations, all the while focusing mostly on their smartphones. They tend to ignore nearly everything else in their immediate surroundings.
The architecture of the stations is often one of the things worth noticing. Taiwan’s railway system is more than 120 years old, and several TRA stations have been designated as historic sites. On the other hand, stations for the two metro systems, which began operating in Taipei in 1996 and Kaohsiung in 2008, have various modern architectural designs. The Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit’s Formosa Boulevard Station, for example, is known for its Dome of Light. Designed by Italian-American artist Narcissus Quagliata, it is the largest illuminated glass ceiling in the world at 30 meters in diameter.
The rail stations on Taiwan’s branch lines were constructed to transport cargo and workers, and innumerable changes have happened to the lines over the years. For instance, the 12.9-kilometer-long Pingxi Branch Line, which runs through seven stations in New Taipei City, was built by the Taiyang Mining Company in 1921 to transport coal. It was sold to the government in 1929, but the eventual decline in coal mining muted the importance of the Pingxi Line in the 1980s. In fact, until tourism breathed new life into the line, the TRA had considered closing it down.
A station is more than just a place where trains stop to pick up and let off passengers. Those who take a closer look will find intrigue and mystery, modern life and history, and a reason to linger in the station or catch a later train.
Write to Jim Hwang at cyhuang03@mofa.gov.tw
Dongshan Station, Yilan County (Photo by Lin Chin-huang)
Changhua Roundhouse, Changhua City (Photo by Yeh Yu-ling)
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station, Taipei Metro (Photo by Joseph Chen)
Shifen Station, Pingxi Line, New Taipei City (Photo by Su Yi-hsiang)
Dome of Light, Formosa Boulevard Station, Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit (Photo by Chen Chien-sheng)