Alishan Forest Railway to fully reopen Saturday

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) Taiwan's Alishan Forest Railway in Chiayi, southern Taiwan is set to resume full operations on Saturday, 15 years after part of the line was closed due to damage by Typhoon Morakot, according to the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office.

Eighty-five tickets for the first train on Saturday were sold out within 10 minutes of going on sale at 2 p.m. Tuesday, when online bookings for tickets from Saturday (July 6) to July 16 started, Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱), deputy director of the office, told CNA.

All tickets for direct trains from Chiayi to Alishan between July 7 and July 10 were also snapped up within 20 minutes, Chou said.

Following the completion of the new No. 42 tunnel, the railway is scheduled to reopen on Saturday with a new timetable and four trains daily, according to Chou.

The four trains include one which departs from Chiayi Railway Station to Shizilu Station at 9 a.m. and a train that leaves Chiayi Station bound for Alishan Station at 10 a.m., with an hour-long stop at Fenqihu Station.

Going in the opposite direction a train will depart Alishan Station for Chiayi Station at 11:50 a.m. and another will leave from Shizilu Station to Chiayi Station at 2 p.m.

The full fare for a one way journey from Chiayi Station to Alishan Station is NT$600 (US$18.39).

The train ticket prices are unchanged, but a fare adjustment will be considered after nine newly purchased locomotives and 48 carriages go into service in the second half of 2025, according to Chou.