West Coast Line
Bao’an station
The West Coast line is a behemoth of a line, stretching from Keelung all the way to Kaohsiung for a total of 404.5 km. It has its roots in the aforementioned 1891 rail line that Liu Mingchuan commissioned, making it the longest, oldest—and busiest, with over 171 million passengers served in 2016—railway line in Taiwan.
Out of the 95 stations on this extensive line, I, true to my superstitious Chinese roots, immediately decided to shortlist Bao’an (保安) station because of its name, which roughly means “preserving the peace” or “security”. Imagine my delight, then, when I found out that I was not the only person who had judged a station by its name.
Apparently, it is common practice in Taiwan to buy a ticket from Yongkang(永康)station t Bao’an station because, when combined, the stations read 永保安康，or, “everlasting peace and health”. Upon hearing that, I promptly bought one ticket for myself.
(In fact, this behaviour is so prevalent that it is known as 吉祥語車票. Other auspicious combinations include 十分成功 [Shifen station and Chenggong station), 吉安壽豐 [Jixiang station and Shoufeng station], 多良金崙[Duoliang station and Jinlun station] and so on.)
Putting aside this detour into folklore, Bao’an station is worth a visit because of its historical and architectural value. Bao’an station opened in 1900 respectively, making it one of the oldest stations on the West Coast line; a large portion of its lifespan was spent transporting large quantities of sugar because it was located near a sugar factory. The station building itself showcases classical Chinese architectural vocabulary with a Japanese inflection, and is one of the few remaining stations on the West Coast line to be built in wood—specifically, the valuable Formosan Cypress carted all the way from Alishan Mountain.
Bao’an station also provided me a base from which to explore a lesser-known part of Tainan. It is located within walking distance of Chimei Museum, a private museum that has one of the world’s largest collections of violins, and a surprising Western art. After being saturated with art and wishing I could play the violin, I proceeded to Tainan Metropolitan Park, which is a simple recreational space for its surrounding residents, to allow my head to get used to the outside world again.
South Link Line
Guzhuang station
Guzhuang station is a stop on the South Link line. The 98.2-km-long line was completed in 1991, making it the newest TRA line. It is also the line that finally linked up all the existing railway lines running around the perimeter of Taiwan, closing the circle and enabling round-island rail travel today. I picked Guzhuang station as one of my last destinations on my Taiwan rail line because, in 2015 RA reported that it is the second least used station in all of Taiwan.
During that entire year, only 281 passengers boarded the train at Guzhuang, and merely 470 alighted. My heart ached for Guzhuang. I wanted it to know that it was still remembered and needed.
I was also eager to experience the distance between Guzhuang and Fangshan stations, which, at 26.9 km, is the longest distance between stations on all TRA lines. (To put that into perspective, it is about half the entire length of Singapore’s East-West line.)
Imagine my sorrow, then, when I found out that Guzhuang station stopped operating in October 2017. Nonetheless, I wanted to complete my mission, so I took the train to Dawu station, its preceding station; from Dawu, it was a short 10-minute drive to Guzhuang.
Taoyuan Airpot MRT Line
During that entire year, only 281 passengers boarded the train at Guzhuang, and merely 470 alighted. My heart ached for Guzhuang. I wanted it to know that it was still remembered and needed.
I was also eager to experience the distance between Guzhuang and Fangshan stations, which, at 26.9 km, is the longest distance between stations on all TRA lines. (To put that into perspective, it is about half the entire length of Singapore’s East-West line.)
Imagine my sorrow, then, when I found out that Guzhuang station stopped operating in October 2017. Nonetheless, I wanted to complete my mission, so I took the train to Dawu station, its preceding station; from Dawu. After a short 10-minute drive, arrived at Guzhuang, finally completing my journey.
(Missed the beginning? Read Part 1 now!)
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