Taiwan Sugar Railways

A Sugar Railway DIEMA diesel locomotive on the Magongcuo Line
Overview
Main region(s)	Taiwan
Parent company	Taiwan Sugar Corporation
Dates of operation	1907 (1907)–present
Technical
Track gauge	762 mm (2 ft 6 in)

Taiwan Sugar Railways
Traditional Chinese	臺灣糖業鐵路
Simplified Chinese	台湾糖业铁路
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Táiwān Tángyè Tiělù Wade–Giles T'ai^2-wan^1 T'ang^2-yeh^4 T'ieh^3-lu^4 Tongyong Pinyin Táiwan Tángyè Tiělù Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tâi-oân Thn̂g-gia̍p Thih-lō͘

The Taiwan Sugar Railways is a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) industrial railway operated by the Taiwan Sugar Corporation. The railway was primarily used in the production of sugar by transporting sugarcane to mills, but 41 lines also provided passenger service.^[1]

After the Second World War the network reached its peak of 3000 kilometers, of which 675 were for passengers.^{[2] [3]}

From 1950 approximately 275 kilometers were added: "The North-South Parallel Preparatory Line". This connected all sugar factories. However, this was quickly shortened after a natural disaster, and increasingly after each disaster. The last part closed in 1998.^[4] The only line still used to carry sugarcane today is the Magongcuo Line in Huwei, Yunlin, though five other lines are partly preserved as heritage railways.^[5][6]

History

Exhibition of retired sugar-carrying trains at the Hualien plant

The Sugar Railways were initially constructed by Meiji Sugar Co., Ltd. during Japanese rule in the early 20th century and continued to operate well into the 1990s under the management of the Taiwan Sugar Corporation. During its peak, the Sugar Railways included over 3000 km of track though by 2003 only 240 km remained. Regular passenger service was discontinued in 1982 as the need for train service to rural areas dwindled with the increasing urbanization of Taiwan and the dominance of highways. More lines were closed in the 1990s as the importance of the sugar industry decreased. Generally the remaining lines were only in operation during the sugarcane harvest season. With domestic sugarcane production dwindling in recent years, rail operations have been sporadic. Some short distance train services resumed in 2003, now catering to tourists and residents wishing to relive childhood memories.

Operations

Typically, most of the Sugar Railway lines centered on the many sugar mills in southern and central Taiwan, radiating outwards through sugarcane fields and small towns. Most of the lines were also linked with stations shared with the main railway lines allowing passengers to transfer to long distance trains. Trains carrying sugarcane and passengers ran along the Sugar Railway lines at relatively slow speeds of roughly 10-30km/h.^[7] Locomotives were initially steam powered, but by the late 1970s the railway had converted to small diesel locomotives.

See also

• Rail transport in Taiwan
• Transportation in Taiwan

References

1. "臺灣糖業鐵道的現況與展望". 25 December 2017.
2. "Taiwan in Time: The sugar train reaches its peak and goes downhill". Taipei Times. September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
3. "臺灣糖業鐵道的現況與展望". 25 December 2017.
4. "台糖通訊-糖金時代的轉輪印記 盡訴糖鐵的美麗與哀愁".
5. "來！來！攏來搭五分車！-蔗香飄飄 唯一以五分載蔗的虎尾糖廠". 台糖通訊 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taiwan Sugar Corporation. August 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
6. 黃淑莉 (December 10, 2020). "追火車！虎尾糖廠製糖開工 「五分車」穿梭市區田間" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Liberty Times. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
7. "健行筆記".

External links

• Taiwan Sugar Corporation (English)(dead link)
• Sugar railways in Taiwan(dead link)