Historically, Taiwan’s mountainous eastern coast has always been one of the island’s more inaccessible parts. Heavy passenger traffic and a limited number of seats mean that even today, getting a train ticket for points in eastern Taiwan can be difficult.
However, plans to bring Taiwan’s high-speed rail line to Yilan County in the northeast are solidifying. This may help make the east more accessible than ever before.
National Freeway 5 is the main thoroughfare between Taipei and largely rural Yilan County. The county is close to the city and makes for a popular getaway. This makes for maddening traffic on weekends and holidays. Going by rail is also an option, but getting a ticket can be nearly impossible.
After more than a decade of deliberation, transportation officials say that the government wants to bring Taiwan’s high-speed rail line to Yilan- and perhaps beyond. The ultimate goal- turning the high-speed rail line into a looped circuit- would connect all the island’s main centers of population and let travelers circle the whole island in as little as six hours.
The Yilan extension, at least, is now in the planning stage. It will cost a projected NT $95.5 billion (roughly US $3.1 billion). With 12 to 15 trains running on the line, the extension could accommodate up to 18,000 riders per hour. Most importantly, the extension will cut travel times between Taipei and Yilan County from around an hour to just 13 minutes.