Platform waiting at Tainan Station will soon be a thing of the past. (Photo by reporter Hong Ruiqin)
The countdown to the opening of the first phase of the underground railway in Tainan City has begun. The century-old Tainan Station will officially usher in a new era of undergrounding. The opening ceremony will be held on the evening of the 16th. Trains will still be running at Tainan Station that night. The last late-night train is the 145 Xin Ziqiang train to Chaozhou at 10:29 pm; the first underground train is the 301 Xin Ziqiang train, which will leave for Hualien at 6:29 am on the 17th. Railway fans should not miss witnessing this historical moment!
In conjunction with the traffic switch, the Southern Engineering Branch of the Railway Bureau plans to block the east main line from 10 p.m. on the 16th and maintain the single-track operation of the west main line. It will then be completely blocked after 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. on the 17th, and the rail switching construction will be carried out overnight.
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Affected by the construction, some passenger trains will be suspended or shortened. A total of 2 designated trains and 10 shuttle trains will be affected, a total of 12 trains. In order to reduce the inconvenience of passenger transfers, the Taiwan Railways will provide highway passenger connection services between Shanhua and Baoan on the Longitudinal Line and between Tainan and Sharon on the Sharon Line.
This late-night construction is also a critical night for the official switching of the first phase of the underground subway of the Southern Railway. The Southern Engineering Branch of the Railway Bureau stated that in addition to the opening of the new station, in order to allow passengers entering the station from the old station to still go to the underground new station platform to wait smoothly, the temporary trestle construction will be completed from night to early morning. Passengers can also pass the trestle to the new station corridor and then enter the underground platform early the next morning.
Tainan Station has gone through a hundred years. With the opening of the first phase of the underground railway, the above-ground track is about to enter history. After the last train, No. 145, bound for Chaozhou (New Ziqiang 3000) sounded its farewell at 10:29 pm on October 16, after a night of switching construction, the first underground train departed for Hualien at 6:29 am on the 17th, which will also become an important new page in the history of railways.
The northbound Tainan Station was changed to the second platform. The blue visual symbolizes the north side of the sea, making it easier for passengers to identify when boarding. It is the first demonstration station in Taiwan. (Photo by reporter Hong Ruiqin)
Tainan Station's southbound platform was changed to the first platform, and the green visual symbolizes the mountain side to the south. (Photo by reporter Hong Ruiqin)
Tainan's urban railways are on the verge of becoming underground, and the Taiwan Railways gates have introduced the latest system. (Photo by reporter Hong Ruiqin)
The first train of the Southern Railway to go underground is expected to be train number 301 (New Ziqiang 3000) at 6:29 am on October 17. (Photo by reporter Hong Ruiqin)
