After the Taiwan High Speed Rail

Chiayi HSR Station

I love the high speed train, and don’t want anything to sound like a negative, that’s why this is a different post. It’s not really about the high speed rail, but it is related.

The High Speed Rail station in Chiayi is ultramodern, efficient and even has both a 7-11 and a MOS Burger. (MOS has really moved into this country whole hog. They even have a concession location at the National Concert Hall.)

Here’s the problem: While the HSR arrives at the Taipei Main Train Station in the center of town, the stops along the way tend to be outside town – way outside town. We arrived “at” Chiayi exactly on time, but we were literally nowhere. We had to take a shuttle bus to the main train station.

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It was lunchtime and we hadn’t eaten, not even breakfast. I thought about stopping at the MOS Burger in the station but, when we asked how long till the bus arrived, were told it was “any minute.” As it happens, I know that there is a MOS Burger within 2 blocks of the Chiayi Rail station that we’d be catching the next train at. We decided to wait rather than risk missing the bus. The connection time wasn’t tight, but it wasn’t leisurely, either.

As the bus arrived (after 15 minutes) so did the torrential rains, again. Perhaps it is because Chiayi is in the tropics, but the rain was even worse than in Taipei. The time ticked away and the bus slowly made its way through the rain. This bus driver was apparently the only one in Taiwan who won’t run scooters off the road or fudge through red lights if no one is looking. We hit every red light and at one point were stuck behind a scooter who was literally weaving back in forth (in the torrential downpour) in front of the bus – as if he was trying to slow us down.

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When we finally arrived at the station, we only had 2 minutes, and there is only one train up the mountain each day. We started running across the station, which, like most stations in Taiwan, there are tunnels under the tracks, so we had to run up and down the stairs. Irene and I were both packed down with very heavy backpacks, but she had to pick up James (26 lbs) and I had to pick up Michelle (40 lbs) and run at full speed.

We just caught the train. I was so winded I thought I was going to pass out. Fortunately, the train up the mountain is 4 hours, so I had plenty of time to rest. Too bad I was still without food.

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6 thoughts on “After the Taiwan High Speed Rail”

  1. Alas, the HSR was laid out in 1987 at a time when the population was running into the cities wholesale. The planners decided to following the English New Town approach and spread that population out by using the HSR as a seed for it. The assumptions and methods were all proven wrong after the economy slowed down during the 1990s. But unfortunately the HSR route wasn’t changed. So the stations in Chiayi, Tainan, and Taichung are ridiculously located, at least for now. Hopefully the city will grow out to them….

  2. Alas, the HSR was laid out in 1987 at a time when the population was running into the cities wholesale. The planners decided to following the English New Town approach and spread that population out by using the HSR as a seed for it. The assumptions and methods were all proven wrong after the economy slowed down during the 1990s. But unfortunately the HSR route wasn’t changed. So the stations in Chiayi, Tainan, and Taichung are ridiculously located, at least for now. Hopefully the city will grow out to them….

  3. ’87? Really?

    I knew it had been in the pre-construction phase for a long time, but I had no idea it was that old!

    Still, even with the stations being out in the boonies, I loved it.

    I gather some locals feel the fare is too expensive, but it seemed like a deal and a half to me. Our fare was about NT$ 1000 (US$ 30) each, as opposed to… roughly (???) NT$ 500 for the old trains.

    It’s interesting, if not relevant, to note that Phoenix is constructing a light rail train system, and, although the stations are already in the central city, the entire premise is that the stations will draw development and investment immediately around them. I guess that’s a common assumption when planing railways that the money will follow the trains.

    Do you know if the Taiwan and/or local government does any incentives to spur development near the stations?

  4. ’87? Really?

    I knew it had been in the pre-construction phase for a long time, but I had no idea it was that old!

    Still, even with the stations being out in the boonies, I loved it.

    I gather some locals feel the fare is too expensive, but it seemed like a deal and a half to me. Our fare was about NT$ 1000 (US$ 30) each, as opposed to… roughly (???) NT$ 500 for the old trains.

    It’s interesting, if not relevant, to note that Phoenix is constructing a light rail train system, and, although the stations are already in the central city, the entire premise is that the stations will draw development and investment immediately around them. I guess that’s a common assumption when planing railways that the money will follow the trains.

    Do you know if the Taiwan and/or local government does any incentives to spur development near the stations?

  5. Yes, gridman, the Taiwan bullet train rocks……sounds like you had a good trip. how was alisan trip up the mtn? lucky you?

  6. Yes, \gridman, the \Taiwan bullet train rocks……sounds like you had a good trip. how was alisan trip up the mtn\? lucky you?

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