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Dongshi line

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Dongshi Line
Railway bridge across the Dajia River
Railway bridge across the Dajia River in August 1991
Overview
Native name東勢線
OwnerTaiwan Railways Administration
Termini
Stations5
Service
TypeHeavy rail
Operator(s)Taiwan Railways Administration
History
Opened12 January 1959 (1959-01-12)
Closed1 September 1991 (1991-09-01)
Technical
Line length14.1 km (8.8 mi)
Track gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
ElectrificationNone

The Dongshi line (Chinese: 東勢線; pinyin: Dōngshìxiàn) was a railway line of the Taiwan Railways Administration. The line was a branch line of the Taichung Line and stretched between Fengyuan and Dongshi in Taichung, Taiwan. After the line's abolishment in 1991, the Taichung County government turned the route into a paved bike path known as the Dongfeng Bicycle Greenway.[1]

History

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The Dongshih Hakka Cultural Park was converted from the old Dongshi Station building

The line was first constructed in 1959 to transport lumber from Dasyueshan. It ran a similar route to the defunct Baxianshan Forest Railway between Fengyuan and Eight Immortals Mountain. The entire line was single-tracked and not electrified; the only passing loop was at Shihgang Station.

When the railway was completed in 1959, a large opening ceremony was held at Dongshi. Former Dongshi station master Weizheng Yang recounted that "Tungshih station was packed with people... not everyone has ridden a train before... at the sight of the steam engine thundering down the tracks, everyone cheered."[2] In Shigang, the tracks cross right above a waterfall, which became a well-known vista point.[3]

Aside from transporting lumber, the line also transported passengers, mainly students. The line also transported concrete for the construction of Techi Dam between 1969 and 1974.[4] However, with the closure of lumber industry at Dasyueshan in 1973, ridership sharply declined, causing local residents to petition for the line's closure. The line officially closed down on September 1, 1991.[3][5]

The Taichung County government saw potential for tourism along the route, so a paved bike path known as the Dongfeng Bicycle Greenway was constructed on November 15, 2000, making it the first railway line to be rebuilt in Taiwan. Tungshih and Shihgang stations were refurbished into visitor centers.[6]

In 2010, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu proposed that the Taichung Metro Red line to be extended to Dongshi along the former route as part of his "Seven Line Plan".[7]

Stations

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During the line's operation, the stations used Tongyong pinyin.

Name Chinese Taiwanese Hakka Transfers and Notes Location
Fengyuan 豐原 → Taiwan Railway Taichung Line Fengyuan Taichung County
Pukou 朴口  
Shihkang 石岡   Shigang
Meitsu 梅子  
Tungshih 東勢   Dongshi

References

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  1. ^ 楊浩民 (August 14, 2016). "你知道台鐵曾有「新店線」嗎？探索8條廢棄路線，是阿公阿嬤最美的回憶啊". The Storm Media. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  2. ^ 軌道傳奇-東勢線 [Railway Legends - Dongshi Line] (Television production) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Public Television Service. Event occurs at 2:42. Retrieved November 8, 2019 – via YouTube. 那個時候的人山人海，那個火車是擠滿了人... 不見得每一人都坐過火車... 還有那個時候的火車是蒸汽火車，那個聲音很雄壯... 大家看得很過癮，「喔好棒喔，不錯喔」
  3. ^ a b "東勢線". National Taiwan University (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  4. ^ 軌道傳奇-東勢線 [Railway Legends - Dongshi Line] (Television production) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Public Television Service. Retrieved November 8, 2019 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ 鄧志忠. "舊線跡踏查系列 －東勢線鐵路". 海洋與鐵道的記憶 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 鐵道情報. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  6. ^ "東豐自行車綠廊". Taichung Travel Net (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taichung City Government. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  7. ^ 唐在馨. 捷運政策比一比／胡提七線齊發 蘇推幸福山海線 - 2010五都選舉專區. iservice.ltn.com.tw. Archived from the original on 2014-08-14. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
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