Jiji railway line returns to full service after four-year hiatus

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) The Jiji railway line, a popular sightseeing branch line connecting Changhua and Nantou counties in Central Taiwan, resumed full operations on Thursday.

Service on the branch line was suspended in August 2021 after torrential rainfall triggered a slope collapse that blocked a tunnel section running adjacent to Provincial Highway 16.

The incident also disrupted the Jiji Line railway improvement project launched in 2019, which cost NT$3.58 billion (US$112.2 million).

At an event marking the Jiji Line's reopening, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said the construction work was undertaken to strengthen the line's foundation, slopes, tunnels and drainage system.

Although rain damaged the tunnel in 2021, the construction work was completed and proved to be even more stable than expected, he added.

The 29.7 km branch line starts at Ershui Station in Changhua and passes through Yuanquan Station before entering Nantou, where it serves Zhuoshui, Longquan, Jiji and Shuili stations before terminating at Checheng Station.

Partial service between Ershui and Jiji stations resumed in January.

Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱), who also attended the event organized by Taiwan Railway Corp., said tourist arrivals in Jiji Township declined by about 80 percent during the line's four-year closure.

He added that he hopes the reopening of the line will help revive tourism in Jiji, Shuili and Checheng townships.

According to Chen, the century-old Jiji Line was originally built to support the Sun Moon Lake hydroelectric project and transport bananas and timber in the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945).

The reconstruction project, he said, upgraded tracks and station facilities, allowing passengers to travel on a safer and renovated railway.

Speaking of the resumption of the Jiji Line, a Taichung resident surnamed Teng (鄧) told CNA at Ershui Station that she had "waited for this for so long."

Teng said she had planned to travel to Checheng by train a few years ago but was unable to do so because the line was suspended, adding that she is excited to see full service resume.