Sheng Hsing railway station explained

Sheng Hsing
Native Name:勝興車站
Native Name Lang:zh-tw
Symbol Location:tw
Symbol:rail
Type:TRA railway station
Address:Sanyi, Miaoli County, Taiwan
Owned:Taiwan Railways Administration
Operator:Taiwan Railways Administration
Line:Former Mountain
Train Operators:Taiwan Railways Administration
Opened:1 April 1907

Sheng Hsing, also spelled Shengsing, Shengxing or Shengzing, is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration West Coast line (Former Mountain line). It is located in Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. It is now a tourist spot surrounded by a cluster of tea shops and traditional Hakka restaurants.

History

The station was completed in 1905 and functioned as a station on the Mountain line section of the TRA's West Coast line for nearly the rest of the century. At the time of opening, the line was the highest stretch of the main north-south line. The station itself is located at an altitude of 402 meters above sea level.[1]

However, due to the steepness of the West Coast line in the vicinity of the station, the TRA constructed a new, more easily navigable section of the Mountain line. As a result, passenger services to Shengxing Station ceased in 1998 when the new section of the Mountain line opened while the previous segment of the Mountain line containing Shengxing station became known as the Former Mountain line. However, due to its history and value to local people, the TRA kept the station as a tourist attraction, and in 1999 the Miaoli County Government designated the station as a historic site.

In 2010 as part of an initiative to increase tourism in the region, the TRA began steam train services on the Old Mountain line on special occasions.[2] Shengxing Station once again became a stop on passenger train services.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Steven. Crook. 29 May 2020. Highways and Byways: Taiwan's retired railway stations. Taipei Times. 30 May 2020.
  2. Web site: Steam railway makes nostalgic return on mountain line - The China Post. 2010-06-06. 2013-11-26.