Alishan Forest Railway

The Alishan Forest Railway climbs from Chiayi, 30 metres above sea level, to Alishan at 2,216 metres. The line is 71.6 kilometres long and only 762 millimetres wide, with spirals, switchbacks and more than fifty tunnels. It was built by the Japanese colonial government to haul cypress and Taiwania timber, and the Chiayi–Erwanping section opened in 1912 and the line reached Zhaoping in 1914. After a long series of typhoon closures, the full route reopened in July 2024.