Taiwan’s TRA Chiayi Station (Standard Rail Station)

hello? This is the Rookie of Railway Nomad. I went on a free trip to Taiwan for 4 days and 3 nights.

I refrained from the essential courses that Koreans go (?), spent a full day riding the Alishan Forest Train, and planned the itinerary in the direction of experiencing Taiwan’s trains in various ways.

The Alishan Forest Train is considered one of the world’s top three mountain trains, along with India’s Tajiling Himalayan Railway and Peru’s Andean Railway. A railroad maniac, Rookie, went all the way to Taiwan, but he couldn’t come without taking the Alishan Forest Train.

There are two Chiayi Stations in Taiwan. One is in Chiayi City and the other is in Taibao City. The former is a regular railway station and the latter is a high-speed railway station.

The two stations are also divided into TRA Chiayi Station and THSR Chiai Station.

TRA stands for Taiwan Railways Administration, the operator of Chiayi Station. On the other hand, THSR stands for Taiwan High Speed Rail, not the operating entity.

Although it is located in Taibao City, the name Chiayi Station probably reflects the nearby metropolis. For example, Gyeongju Station, Singyeongju Station, Gimcheon Station and Gimcheon Gumi Station in Korea.

Here, we will take a tour of TRA Chiayi Station in Chiayi City.

▲ Panoramic view of Taiwan TRA Chiayi Station

Compared to the size of the station, the plaza at Chiayi Station is surprisingly small. As soon as you exit the station, you will see a taxi rank.

▲ BRT Shuttle Limousine Bus operating between Taiwan TRA Chiayi Station and THSR Chiayi Station

To use the BRT bus, you can use it for free by presenting your train ticket at the platform marked BRT in the station square.

When boarding, you will be given a tag ticket. You can return it when you get off.

▲ Inside Taiwan TRA Chiayi Station

It is a large scale station with about 20 tracks. You can see a building that is presumed to be a vehicle business in the back, appropriate to its scale.

▲ Ticketing gate of TRA Chiayi Station, Taiwan

The gate opens when the magnetic ticket is inserted.

▲ An engineer belonging to Taiwan TRA

A Taiwanese engineer waiting for a train shift.

▲ Waiting room at TRA Chiayi Station in Taiwan

This is the direction where the ticket counter is located.

▲ Convenience store at Chiayi Station, TRA, Taiwan

Convenience store inside platform 11 where the Alishan Forest Train departs. It can be said that it is like our storyway.

▲ Luggage lockers inside TRA Chiayi Station in Taiwan

▲ Alishan Forest Train platform at TRA Chiayi Station in Taiwan

This is a dedicated platform for narrow-gauge trains that only depart from Alishan Forest Train.

Taiwan has a narrow gauge gauge of 1067mm, the same as Japan (Shinkansen is a standard gauge of 1435mm). However, the Alishan Forest Train is a narrow gauge train using a gauge of 762mm.