4 tourists face fines for walking on Alishan railway tracks

Taipei, June 30 (CNA) Four tourists caught walking on the tracks of the Alishan Forest Railway in Chiayi County face fines of between NT$10,000 (US$314) and NT$50,000 each for violating the Railway Act, the railway operator said Tuesday.

The four were found during a joint patrol with police near Erwanping (二萬平) Station earlier this month, the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office under the Ministry of Agriculture's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said in a statement.

Walking the tracks has been a common, though prohibited, activity for years for visitors eager to explore the forest inside and outside the Alishan Forest Recreation Area.

Visitors have been emboldened to do so because the tracks are rarely used due to the low frequency of trains running on branch lines and the previous closure of the main line connecting Chiayi and Alishan due to batterings by successive typhoons.

Since the main line resumed service on July 6, 2024, however, the office has cracked down on visitors ignoring safety warnings to walk on the tracks.

The office and the Chiayi County Police Department's Jhuci Precinct carried out 33 joint enforcement operations between December 2024 and May 2026, and penalized a total of 33 individuals for trespassing.

While these stepped-up enforcement efforts have led to a decline in violations and greater public awareness of railway safety, some tourists still choose to disregard the rules, the office said.

During a recent joint operation with the Jhuci Precinct's Alishan police station, authorities patrolled the rail line from Erwanping Station toward Chiayi and caught four tourists walking on the tracks, it said.

Under Article 70 of the Railway Act, pedestrians and vehicles are strictly prohibited from entering railway lines, with violators subject to fines of NT$10,000 to NT$50,000 per person.

The cases of the four individuals will be forwarded to the Railway Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to finalize their punishments, the office said.

The office issued a reminder that visitors must strictly abide by safety regulations in the Alishan area.

It urged visitors to stay off the railway lines, bridges and tunnels, warning that trespassing endangered both personal safety and train operations while exposing offenders to hefty fines.