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	Đài loan đường nghiệp thiết lộ
Simplified Chinese	Đài loan đường nghiệp thiết lộ
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Táiwān Tángyè Tiělù Wade–Giles T'ai2-wan1T'ang2-yeh4T'ieh3-lu4 Tongyong Pinyin Táiwan Tángyè Tiělù Southern Min HokkienPOJ Tâi-oân Thn̂g-gia̍p Thih-lō͘

TheTaiwan Sugar Railwaysis a762 mm(2 ft 6 in)industrial railwayoperated by theTaiwan Sugar Corporation.The railway was primarily used in the production ofsugarby transportingsugarcaneto mills, but 41 lines also provided passenger service.

After the Second World War the network reached its peak of 3000 kilometers, of which 675 were for passengers.

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. The only line still used to carry sugarcane today is the Magongcuo Line inHuwei, Yunlin,though five other lines are partly preserved asheritage railways.

History

Exhibition of retired sugar-carrying trains at theHualienplant

The Sugar Railways were initially constructed by Meiji Sugar Co., Ltd. duringJapanese rulein the early 20th century and continued to operate well into the 1990s under the management of theTaiwan 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 totouristsand 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 withthe main railway linesallowing 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.Locomotives were initiallysteam powered,but by the late 1970s the railway had converted to smalldiesel locomotives.

See also

• Rail transport in Taiwan
• Transportation in Taiwan

External links

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