Taiwan’s Alishan Forest Railway has fully resumed operations after a 15-year gap with the launch of two new tourist charter trains, the Formosensis and Vivid Express.
Each train offers unique tour packages designed to revitalise rail travel.
A typhoon in 2009 severely damaged the railway, while another typhoon in 2015 delayed its reopening.
The Forest Railway employs four railway track construction methods to
overcome the challenging mountainous terrain, and a specially designed
hill-climbing locomotive to pull the carriages.
In recent years, Taiwan's railway tourism offerings have gained
popularity. Beyond the well-known forest railway, the former sugar
railways, once used for transporting sugar cane, have also been
repurposed for tourism.
Centred around the Suantou Sugar Factory Cultural Park in Chiayi, the
THSR Chiayi Station and the southern branch of the National Palace
Museum are connected by Taiwan's first sugar railway that links major
national transportation infrastructure and key cultural sites.
Also, Taisugar’s vintage train continues to operate within the Sinying Railway Scenic Park.
Additionally, the Breezy Blue Train, a repurposed vintage blue train
that typically runs on the South Link Line, has gained popularity since
its launch in 2021.