Alishan Forest Railway

The Alishan Forest Railway is an industrial railway laid during the Japanese colonial period for logging forest resources. The entire line is divided into a main line and branch lines, passing through three types of forest landscapes along the way: tropical, subtropical, and temperate. It ascends from Chiayi Station at an altitude of 30 meters all the way to Alishan Station at an altitude of 2,216 meters. In addition, passengers can also take the Zhushan Line train in the early morning to Zhushan Station (2,451 meters), Taiwan's highest altitude station, to enjoy the renowned Alishan sunrise. To overcome challenging terrain, the Alishan Forest Railway utilizes four of the five major engineering methods for mountain railways, including spiral loops, switchbacks, Ω-type turns, and specially designed mountain steam locomotives. It integrates mountain railway, forest railway, and high-mountain railway features, demonstrating its capability as a world-class mountain railway and is one of Taiwan's potential World Heritage sites.