TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Zhushan Station on the Alishan Forest Railway line officially reopened on Monday (Nov. 20) after three years of extensive renovations.
Zhushan Station is the highest railway station in Taiwan and the first mountain station to be a diamond-rated green building, reported CNA. The station features intelligent ecological lighting, water storage functionality, and a double-layered, single-side platform with a crescent-shaped design, creating a new landmark for Alishan.
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office (AFRCH) held an opening ceremony for the renovated station on Monday. Forestry and railway officials, Tsou elders, and teachers and students from local elementary schools took part in the event in Chiayi County's Alishan Township.
(Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency photo)
Guests took the century-old SL-31 Steam Locomotive from Alishan Station to Zhushan Station. Elders of the Tsou Indigenous group conducted an ancient ritual to bless the station before performing a tribal song.
AFRCH Director Huang Miao-hsiu (黃妙修) was cited by the news agency as saying that renovations on the station were originally scheduled to be completed in two years, but were delayed by one year due to the COVID pandemic. The station retains its curved platform to preserve its cultural heritage, she said.
(Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency photo)
The combination of steel structure and domestically produced Taiwan cypress, Japanese redwood, and Taiwan acacia achieved a harmonious balance between strength and flexibility, making maintenance easy, she added.
Huang said that Zhushan Station not only incorporated cultural landscapes, ecological sustainability, and friendly service, but also set five national records for the Alishan Forest Railway, including the highest altitude station in Taiwan (2,451 meters above sea level), the first diamond-rated green building mountain station, the first station to adopt smart ecological lighting, the first platform station with a water storage function, and the first double-layered, single-sided platform with a crescent-shaped design.
(AFRCH photo)
(AFRCH photo)
(Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency photo)
(CNA)
(CNA photo)
(CNA photo)