Tainan opens underground rail while preserving history
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After 16 years of construction, Tainan, Taiwan, opened the first section of its underground railway on Saturday, closing level crossings and overpasses in the process.
Residents gathered to watch the last Tze-chiang Limited Express depart from the city’s original station before operations ceased. The original Tainan Railway Station, built in 1936 during the Japanese colonial era, will be preserved and restored as a cultural and artistic space, including restaurants and exhibition venues.
The city of Tainan has been actively restoring historic buildings for years, including the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and the Tainan Judicial Museum. These efforts aim to integrate historical landmarks into modern urban culture. The old station held significance for residents, as its second floor once housed a popular restaurant where many people experienced dining out for the first time.
The opening of the underground railway marks a new phase for Tainan, and officials anticipate the restored station will become a valuable public asset. Similar crowds gathered in Taiwan in 1988 and 1998 to say goodbye to the Tamsui Line and the Western Trunk’s old Mountain Line when those railways ceased operations.
