The simple work trains shuttle back and forth into the tunnels, whose blackness is relieved by a mere spotting of small, dim lights. Safety helmets on their heads and sharp mattocks on their shoulders, the workers within go stripped to the waist into every gloomy corner.
Without the tunnels, the insistent rumbling of rolling cement mixers and massive excavators is punctuated by the clanging of individual mattocks encountering pesky rocks—an atonal symphonic accompaniment majestically fitted to this vigorous panorama of rugged nature in transformation, of mountains grudgingly making way for the construction of the spectacular South Link Railway.
Cut off by towering massifs of the Central Mountain Range, the island's main watershed, and lacking the expansive, fertile plains of west Taiwan, isolated eastern Taiwan lags behind in the nation's booming development. To nullify nature's unfair discrimination, the ROC government had long planned to construct the South Link—the final element in a round-the-island railway.
The North Link Railway was completed and opened to traffic at the end of 1979, the first great stride in the plans to connect the existing western and eastern railarms across the top and bottom of the island. Construction on the South Link, the most difficult and final element in the island-circling plan, was started on July 1, 1980. When the railway is completed (the scheduled year is 1990), travelers will be able to get on anywhere and go to any coastal point on the island, or even full-circle.
The South Link Railway begins at the southern terminus of the western coastal line at Fangliao, Pingtung County. It then proceeds south to Fangshan where, disdaining the extreme-south "stem" of the island, it suddenly bears to the northeast, traversing the tail of the Central Mountain Range over to Kuchuang, thence northerly along the east coast to Peinan, where it links with the existing east coast railway.
The total length of the new link will be 98.25 km. Except for a central 16.76 km. south of Kuchuang to the new Central Signal Station, where the railway will be double tracked, allowing trains to pass in the long tunnels, the rest of the line—81.49 km.—will all be single-track.
Along the eastern and westernmost legs of the links, the topography is relatively even. But the remaining 70 percent of the line either crosses rugged mountains or skirts coastal cliffs by means of 34 tunnels covering a total of 37.45 km.—38 percent of the entire route. Additionally, 40 large and 118 small bridges are to be built, totaling 6.76 km. in length.
Currently, the construction team's work schedule is tied to the progress in the tunnel engineering, the critical element for the whole construction project; the Central Tunnel, at 8.07 km., will be Taiwan's longest.
Length, though, is not the overriding factor for the pace of tunnel engineering; the geological structure is of utmost importance. In generations past, when the tunnels were dug out by manpower alone, "soft" terrain was preferred because it saved labor. Now, with the benefits of modern machinery and technology, the engineers prefer dense, hard rock structures which resist damage from machinery vibration and weather.
Geology along the route of the South Link Railway, generally speaking, belongs in the realm of weathering rock strata and is a severe test, involving many puzzling problems for the construction team. Retaining walls for some sections of the roadbed between Fangliao and Fangshan were displaced or broken down last year by major landslides, and similar phenomena were identified in the eastern section of the line, around Taimali. These weak geological structures explain why the South Link Railway, only 16 km. longer than North Link Railway, requires almost a tripling of construction expenditures—to a total of about US$527 million.
Within the dimly lit excavation, men and machines (served by simple work trains) labor to extend An Su No.3 Tunnel, at 5.48 km., the rail link's second longest. Weak surface layers of loess complicate the work at this critical point.
An example of the costly engineering structures is at An Su No.3 Tunnel (at 5.48 km, the second longest): Because of a weak loess surface layer, a steel-reinforced concrete retaining wall is required for the tunneling. The rock strata in this district inclines from west to east, and deformed strata would collapse during the excavating engineering if steel and concrete supports were not set up every few meters in conjunction with the requisite inner-tunnel work.
Traditional methods of tunnel-cutting proceed from the two ends, to meet midway. A prerequisite, of course, is that precise engineering is an absolute requirement if the two sections are to come together.
Construction of the long Central Tunnel was started in March 1984. If each day's tunneling from both ends were to proceed one meter, then 11 years, and 20 working days would be needed to finish the tunnel. To speed up the tunnel work, a middle, slant-access tunnel permits digging at four instead of two positions, shortening construction time to six years. After the completion of the entire tunnel, the access tunnel will serve as a vent, alleviating air pollution in the main tunnel.
Lin Li-yen, director of the South Link Railway construction project, sees efficient tunnel construction as, most of all, a byproduct of engineering experience. He also makes the point that intensive geological surveys accomplished before the digging begins cannot, regardless of experience, assure against error, because the sampling results and the effective testing distances are always limited. No one can ever be 100 percent certain of the profile of any major geological structure, especially in rugged mountain terrain.
"Since the work of transforming the natural environment is, often enough, not really susceptible to precise pre-measurement even with the newest instruments, sometimes I feel it's more like gambling—gambling with Mother Nature," put in Wang Kuo-cheng, vice chief of the team's An Su Section.
The sturdy, traditional Chinese farmer's hat protects a rail-layer from sun, rain, and other hazards, near Chihpen.
In ancient times, the great King Yu (2276-2177 B.C., founder of the Hsia Dynasty) reportedly regulated the Yellow River for nine years via various man-made works. He was so preoccupied with assuring this control, that three times, according to ancient chroniclers, he passed by his own home without the time to enter it.
This spirit of devotion can be seen thousand of years later among the South Link Railway project personnel. Most of the South Link team transferred from the North Link Railway project on its completion. Those participating in both railway construction efforts from beginning till end, will have spent a full 17 years of their lives so doing.
Lin Tsai-tan, vice director of engineering for the South Link Railway, is an example. He has been working on the two links for more than 10 years now and is home so seldom that his three-year-old grandson is always too shy to call him "Granddad."
In addition to the heavy work and after-dark monotony, far from urban entertainments, the dangers of converting the precipitous natural environment constantly affect team personnel. Thirty percent of the work is in rugged, forested mountain terrain where poisonous snakes add to the dangers from geology and machines.
South Link Railway construction is now proceeding simultaneously in five sections. Late last month, the Chihpen-Peinan east coast stretch was the first part of the new route opened to traffic.
A train flashes past the new platform for the Peinan Station, at the South Link's eastern terminus.
Running north along the new tracks in a little track-inspection train manned by construction team personnel, we felt definite excitement on being the first "civilian" passengers on the South Link Railway. The wide scenic view here was refreshing—to the west, undulating hills in overlapping tones of green; to the east, blue seas and skies stretching to distant horizons.
On a ridge within a vast field of golden corn beside the railway, an aboriginal woman, basket on head, ambled slowly. A bit further on, an old farmer, the traces of time carved deeply on his face, plodded along in a bullock cart, completely ignoring the train flying by. I caught myself wondering, after the railway was totally opened to traffic, about the kind of changes it might bring to these long-isolated people, whose life pace seems so easy and carefree.
First of all, of course, Taitung's pollution free air will be challenged by traffic and factories. And the whole area's economic structure will react to a rising interflow of population and goods with the rest of the island.
The South Link Railway will be an alternate route for commodities and industrial products from the Lanyang area (northeast of Taipei) to the southern port of Kaohsiung, and the reverse. Hualien, Suao, and Taitung Harbors on the east coast will have vastly expanded hinterlands.
The poetically scenic east coast of Taiwan and the lush tropical scenery of south Taiwan will be rapidly accessible via the South Link, with high value for the tourism industry—Taitung has long been dubbed "Taiwan's last virgin area for tourism."
Although the new South Link Railway will bring these and many other foreseeable advantages, the Taiwan Railway Administration is quick, also, to note initial impediments to visions of railroading bonanzas.
Lin Tsai-tan says the biggest immediate problem when the South Link is first inaugurated will be train-transferring. Railway electrification now reaches only to Kaohsiung (and soon will be extended to Pingtung). Passengers who take the west line and wish to continue on the South Link, will have to change trains at Fangliao.
The engineering of the South Link has been coordinated with future electrification, but that's a long way away.
Still, in the initial period after the opening of the North Link Railway, the Railway Administration predicted that it would not be in the black, businesswise, for years. But now, the North Link is such a golden line that it is even difficult to reserve a ticket. With that example, who really knows how long the South Link will really have to fight red ink?
But good or bad, the business economics are only one item on a scale weighing, also, overall economic benefits, national defense, and transportation utility. The South Link Railway, overall, will be a bonanza.