TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Work is underway on a new railway park to be located in Miaoli County that is meant to become a major tourism hub for the area starting next year.
In a press release issued on Sunday (Nov. 20), the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) announced that it has set up an exhibition hall next to the south side of Miaoli Station, where various vintage locomotives will be displayed. The administration stated that in 2019 the Cabinet instructed the Hakka Affairs Council to compile a budget for the project and the Construction and Planning Agency began work on the "Miaoli Railway Park," expanded the scale of train exhibitions, and incorporated abandoned dormitories around TRA facilities, all to provide a space for the public to get close to railway culture and entertainment.
The first phase of the project has entered the "acceptance stage." It is expected that the park will be fully completed and officially opened in 2023.
The TRA pointed out that the first phase of the park will cover an area of about 1,300 pings (a ping equals 3.3 square meters), including 630 pings of commercial space. The park will include an exhibition hall, a display of railway literature and history, specialty restaurants, and a scenic tower.
Visitors can also partake in cultural and creative railway products created by local craftsmen, local Miaoli Hakka delicacies, and roasted coffee. When the park is fully completed it is expected to cover 4,500 pings
Once finished, the park will include public art installations, a "dynamic wheelhouse exhibition hall," an indoor main exhibition hall, an outdoor exhibition area, a railway culture experience room, and a collection of more than 10 diesel and electric locomotives. The TRA expressed hopes that the park can emulate the success of the Railway Museum in Japan's Saitama Prefecture and become a new tourist attraction for Miaoli County.
Artist rendering of park exterior. (TRA image)
Artist rendering of "Miaoli Railway Park." (TRA image)
Artist rendering of "Railway Plaza." (TRA image)
Artist rendering of "Train Exhibition Hall." (TRA image)
