•    
• Font size
• 

   

Covering an area of 1,800 hectares, Qigu Salt Field in Tainan was once the largest of its kind in Taiwan. In 1987, the 29.6 kilometers of rails used to ship salt from Qigu stopped operation. After that, the operation of salt transport was shifted to Budai Salt Field, which was still in use for salt production back then. Salt from Qigu Salt Field was shipped using the sugar transport rails of Jiali Sugar Refinery. The railways then connected to Madou Sugar Refinery and to TRA Longtian Station, forming an interesting salt-sugar co-transport mode.
Alishan Forest Railway played an important role in the development of forestry of Alishan. In consideration of the steep terrains and timber loads, the railway was built as three spirals and a switchback to ascend steep sections. In comparison with Taipingshan and Baxianshan forest areas, which along with Alishan, were referred to as the three major forest areas in Taiwan at the time, the Alishan forest area was better known for its timber output and unique railway configuration.