Alishan Forest Railway is one of the most iconic and best-preserved historical mountain railways in the world. Starting at the center of Chiayi City, it passes through tropical forests, and subtropical hills, and rises into the temperate forests in the mountains, originally ending up at Alishan. It is definitely something you should experience while you are in Taiwan.
🚂 Planning your trip to Alishan Forest Railway? 🌳
Here are some top travel tips for you:
- Best time to visit: Spring for the cherry blossoms or Summer (May-October)
- One-way train trip: 2.5 hours
- Schedule: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
- How to get there: Taiwan High Speed Railway
- Best places to stay: Chiayi Crown Hotel or YesHotel
- Book tours and activities in Chiayi on Klook and get your Railway tickets with a guide here
- Stay connected with a local SIM
Historical Background:
The Alishan forest railway was opened in 1912 during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. Originally it was built to transport lumber from mountain areas in Chiayi County, especially cypress and Taiwania wood. The railway consists of a narrow gauge track and has 50 tunnels and 70 wooden bridges.
After the Alishan highway was completed in 1982 and logging in Taiwan was banned, passengers along the railway dropped considerably. However, the railway has become popular again in recent years due to its unique and historic preservation. Before the railway from Fenqihu to Zhuqi station was opened, passengers had to disembark at Fenqihu to take a bus to Alishan.
In recent years, many parts of the railway have been damaged by floods and landslides, and parts of the railway have been closed for days or even years.
As of July 6th, 2024, the entire railroad from Chiayi to Alishan finally opened in its entirety, after sections of the entire line had been closed for nearly 15 years.
The railway is known as one of the most beautiful mountain railways in the world. It is also the highest narrow-gage railway in Asia at 2,451 meters (Chushan Station). Currently, the railway attracts visitors from all over the world and is one of the most popular attractions in Taiwan.
Hours:
Chiayi to Alishan:
The first train leaves Chiayi at 8:30 AM
The last train leaves Chiayi at 9:00 AM
Trains return to Chiayi at around 3:00 PM – 4PM
A one-way trip takes about two and a half hours.
Zhushan: 30 minutes (sunrise train)
Shenmu: 7 minutes
Zhaoping Line: 6 minutes
You can purchase tours and tickets for the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here.
Price:
600 NT one way from Chiayi to Alishan.
Zhushan Line: 150 NT per ride
Shenmu Line: 100 NT per ride
Zhaoping Line: 100 NT per ride
You can purchase tours and tickets of the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here.
How to Buy Tickets:
Online: You can purchase tours and tickets for the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here. You can use the online system to buy tickets here.
In person: Go to Chiayi Station in person for the Chiayi-Shizilu portion, or Alishan Station for the Zhushan, Shenmu, and Zhaoping lines. The counter to buy tickets is on the right of the main entrance. This is the best way to buy tickets.
The online system does not show all tickets and routes available, so if possible it is better to buy in person instead.
Where to sit:
The best views going up are on the right of the train, and coming down on the left of the train.
When to go:
Any season. Spring is special because of Cherry blossoms. In the summer (May-October), rock falls due to heavy rains or Typhoons can stop the train for a few days. Make sure to check the train is still running before you go in the summer.
Stations:
We will cover the following stations in this blog:
Chiayi Station 嘉義車站
Beimen Station 北門站
Lumachan Station 鹿麻產站/ Luman Station 鹿滿站
Zhuqi Station 竹奇車站
Zhangnaoliao Station 樟腦寮車站
Dulishan Station 獨立山站
Liyuanliao Station 梨園寮車站
Zhaoliping Station 交力坪車站
Shuisheliao Station 水社寮站
Fenqihu Station 奮起湖車站
Duolin Station 多林車站
Pingzhena Station 屏遮那車站
First Switch Station 第一分道車站
Second Switch Station 第二分道車站
Erwanping 二萬平車站
Shenmu Station 神木車站
Alishan Station 阿里山車站
Zhaoping Station 沼平車站
Shizifendao Station 十字分道車站
Dueigaoyue Station 對高岳車站
Chushan Station 祝山車站
Mian Yue/Tashan Line 眠月線/塔山線
Dongpu Line 東埔線
Shuishan Line 水山線
How to get there:
Most passengers board from Chiayi TRA Station or the nearby Beimen TRA Station.
Go to Alishan Station for the Zhushan, Shenmu, and Zhaoping lines.
You can book tickets to travel to Chiayi via inter-city bus on Klook here.
You can book tickets to Chiayi via high-speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here.
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.
Scooter Rental: Looking for a scooter rental in Chiayi? You can check out Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.
Car Rental: If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.
Bicycle Rental: Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and search for tours on Klook here.
You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here.
Tours and Activities:
You can purchase tours and tickets for many activities in Chiayi such as glamping, Three Pigs Farm, Janfusun Fancy World, Taiping Suspension Bridge, Chateau de Jourdeness, Kumquat Tourist Factory, Taisugar Siantou Cultural Park, Meteor Garden, Veoveoana Tribe Tour, Danayi Valley, Batongguan Historic Trail, Xianghe Leisure Farm, Foot massage and many others through Klook here or KKday here.
Where to Stay:
We have stayed at and recommend Chiayi Crown Hotel (you can book on Agoda here 喔Booking.com here), Shin Kao Hotel (you can book on Agoda here or Trip.com here), and YesHotel (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), which are all quality hotels for a reasonable price near Chiayi Station. We also recommend Shianghu Botique Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here), with excellent quality for the money just out of Chiayi City center. Finally, we have stayed at and recommend Fenchihu Street Hotel (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), which is within walking distance of Fenqihu Old Street, Fenqihu Station, and many amazing hikes in the area.
Find out more about where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality accommodation on the islands.
You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Klook here or KKday here.
Maps:
Please see a map of all the stations below:
Below are some more maps from the Forestry Bureau for your reference:
Another map provided by the Forest Railway to get you a sense of how the railway twists and turns.
Another map shows the elevation change from tropical forest (below 600 M), to sub-tropical forest (below 1800 M), to temperate forest (below 2500 M).
Slideshow Video:
Our Journey:
I have been to Alishan twice and I have also been along the Alishan Railway twice, as well as the railway inside the Alishan Forest Recreation Area twice. My first attempt to ride the train from Chiayi to Shizilu failed, but the second attempt was successful.
I have ridden the full line from Chiayi to Fenqihu and back once before the entire track from Chiayi to Alishan was reopened. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I drove down from Taipei and stayed at one of the cheap hotels near the train station. We got up at 8 AM to catch the train
Chiayi Station 嘉義車站
8:40 AM. The window to buy Alishan Forest Railway tickets is not the same as the normal TRA tickets. You have to go outside to the right of the main entrance.
You can also purchase tours and tickets for the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here.
Unfortunately, we were on the left side of the train going up, which had the worst view.
Beimen Station 北門站
Beimen Station is a station only for the Alishan Railway, and it is also in Chiayi City. It was built in 1912 for the convenience of those living in Hinoki Village, which provided dormitories and residences for railway workers. There is also a history museum/exhibit in the old portion of the station. You can also check out the nearby Hinoki Village.
Lumachan Station 鹿麻產站/ Luman Station 鹿滿站
This station was built in 1910 but abandoned in 1982. In 2019, it was officially renovated and reopened as a stop along the Alishan Railway. They have restored a few of the buildings here and built a bike path along the train tracks.
Zhuqi Station 竹奇車站
Zhuqi Station was completed in 1912 and is known as the beginning of the mountain climb section of the track.
In the olden days, trains switched engines here from the No. 18 pulling in front, to the No. 28 pushing from behind to help with the mountain climb. Because of this, there is a lot of empty track near the station where trains used to wait to switch engines.
Zhuqi seemed to be the busiest and most popular station before the mountains.
Zhangnaoliao Station 樟腦寮車站
This station was also built in 1912 and is the first mountain stop. It is also the only station in Taiwan that uses Zig-zag railway.
Dulishan Station 獨立山站
This station was also built in 1912 and lies between tunnels 9 and 10.
There were tons of people at this station and it looked like a great place to hike.
Dulishan is also one of Taiwan’s lesser 100 peaks.
If you want to see the full ride up Dulishan, check out our video above.
Liyuanliao Station 梨園寮車站
Zhaoliping Station 交力坪車站
Shuisheliao Station 水社寮站
Also, there is an abandoned tunnel near here that was buried during Typhoon Marokot.
Fenqihu Station 奮起湖車站
Duolin Station 多林車站
Duolin was also built in 1912, and next to it is a small mountain town to explore, although there are not many shops or restaurants etc.
Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Duolin. I originally wanted to ride from Fenqihu to Shizilu, but because of a Typhoon, the train was canceled that day.
Shizilu Station 十字路車站
Shizilu was also built in 1912, and next to it is a larger mountain town to explore. Shizilu was an important stop along the Alishan Railway, had space to store lumber and supplies, and many lumber workers lived here. It was also an important trading post with the indigenous people who lived in the area.
The town lost its importance with the end of the timber industry in Taiwan in the early 1980s. In 2008, the railroad was closed due to rockfall from Typhoon Marokot. However, the railroad was restored in 2017, making it an important stop along the railway again. It used to be the last stop from Chiayi, and there were shuttle buses that ran daily from Shizilu to Alishan.
Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to Shizilu on this trip, but the line is open as of 2024.
As of July 6th, 2024, the entire railroad from Chiayi to Alishan finally opened in its entirety, after sections of the entire line had been closed for nearly 15 years.
Pingzhena Station 屏遮那車站
Pingzhena was also built in 1912, and was a small station with not much next to it. In 2008, the railroad was closed due to rockfall from Typhoon Marokot. Since then, the station has been lying in ruins. You can go check it out if you like urban exploration.
As of July 6th, 2024, Pingzhena Station reopened as part of the entire railroad from Chiayi to Alishan, after sections of the entire line had been closed for nearly 15 years.
First Switch Station 第一分道車站
The first switchstation was used to help gain elevation up to Alishan. The train switches tracks here as part of a switchback or Z shape up the mountain. There is also a building and residence here. In 2008, the railroad was closed due to rockfall from Typhoon Marokot. In 2017, the station was reopened and can be reached via train from Shenmu Station.
Second Switch Station 第二分道車站
The second switchstation was also used to help gain elevation up to Alishan. The train switched tracks here as part of a switchback or Z shape up the mountain. However, there was no station or buildings built here. The second switchstation is no longer in use.
Erwanping 二萬平車站
Erwanping is another switchback up the mountain, but the train does not have to switch tracks here. In 2008, the railroad was closed due to rockfall from Typhoon Marokot. In 2017, the station was reopened and can be reached via train from Shenmu Station.
There is a station here as well as a youth activity center.
Shenmu Station 神木車站
Alishan Station 阿里山車站
For our full blog on the Alishan Forest Recreation area, click here.
Zhaoping Station 沼平車站
Shizifendao Station 十字分道車站
Shizifendao station was completed in 1915, and was the starting station for the Tashan Line (later renamed Mianyue Line). The station features a small wooden building. There was a derailing incident here in 2001 in which 8 people were injured. It is still used for the Chushan Line.
Dueigaoyue Station 對高岳車站
Dueigaoyue was built in 1986 as part of the Chushan Railway reopening. It is the last station before Chushan. The station only has a simple uncovered platform. Currently, trains do not usually stop at this station, however, there are plans to renovate it in the future.
Chushan Station 祝山車站
The train to Chushan changes times every month to accommodate the changing times of the sunrise.
Mian Yue/Tashan Line 眠月線/塔山線
Part of the Tashan line extends past Stone Monkey Station but lies totally in ruins.
Dongpu Line 東埔線
Shuishan Line 水山線
The Shuishan Line was an existing part of the Dongpu Line that was not destroyed or converted into an asphalt road. It included two stations: Zhaoping Station and Shuishan Station. It was completed as a tourist line in 2003 but was given to a private company that failed to make money on it. It was finally put to rest after Typhoon Marokot in 2008.
As of July 6th, 2024, the entire railroad from Chiayi to Alishan finally opened in its entirety, after sections of the entire line had been closed for nearly 15 years.
The Journey Back
Overall it was a fun trip, but I was kind of disappointed that for a vast majority of the ride, all I could see was trees or bamboo that was growing right next to the track. As fun as the train ride is, it is much more fun to get off the train, go hiking, and enjoy views while sitting still.
You can purchase tours and tickets for the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here.
You can also check out our full guide to Chiayi here.
For an overview of other places you can visit in Taiwan, you can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here.
