On July 1, 2018, the Executive Yuan authorized the Forestry Bureau to officially establish the "Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office". The new organization was created with an aim to improve the operating safety and service quality of the Alishan Forest Railway, ensure the sustainable preservation of the nation's precious forestry heritage, and promote ecotourism. In addition to overseeing the Alishan Forest Railway and its associated stations, train depots, and related railway facilities, the scope of the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office's jurisdiction was also expanded to include forestry culture parks in Chiayi City, Hinoki Village, and other revitalized historical sites, ushering in a brand new image for forestry culture tourism. During today's handover and grand opening ceremony, Forestry Bureau Director-General Lin Hwa-Ching indicated that the new dedicated organization was established for two main reasons. First, the decision was made so that the Alishan Forest Railway could finally have its own independent dedicated organization to handle operations. Second, the new organization was set up with a mission to promote and protect cultural heritage, including the dynamic preservation of the Alishan Forest Railway and restoring and repurposing Chiayi's former lumber mill area and workers' living quarters. The Alishan Forest Railway recently celebrated its 106th anniversary and is one of the world's few noteworthy mountain railways still in operation today. Previously operated by the Railway Division of the Chiayi Forest District Office, the Alishan Forest Railway was at one point transferred over to a privately run company before control was ceded back to the Taiwan Railways Administration; however, this was short-lived, as the line again changed hands when control was turned over to the Alishan Forest Railway Branch, a task force assembled under the Taiwan Railway Administration. Prior to the establishment of this new dedicated organization, the railway line never had an organization responsible for operations vested with this level of authority. However, earlier last year, the Executive Yuan concluded that the Alishan Forest Railway indeed possessed precious cultural heritage value and determined that control of the line should be returned to the Forestry Bureau, which would in turn create a dedicated organization to oversee its operations. Owing to the assistance of relevant government ministries and departments, the initiative moved along swiftly, and in a little over a year's time the Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office was successfully established, setting an important new milestone. Preserving Cultural Heritage and Promoting Tourism While According Respect to Historical Sites The Alishan Forest Railway has been in operation for more than a century and once played an integral role in the forestry industry in the Chiayi region, contributed to the livelihoods of mountain village residents, and shaped forest ecosystems. Along the way, it also gave birth to Taiwan's forest railway culture, which is unique in the world. While most people know that the railway line was constructed by the Japanese in order to extract natural resources, few people are aware that the line is still used to this day to transport timber from tree thinning operations conducted in nearby forest compartment lands, hence its name — the "Alishan Forest Railway" — does indeed reflect its true nature. Alishan's forestry cultural heritage is not limited to the Alishan Forest Railway's past use for timber plantations and to transport timber down the mountain, but also encompasses a lumber mill and workers' living quarters and settlements which are now located in an urban area. The establishment of the "Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office" highlights the government's commitment to promoting the preservation of cultural heritage and willingness to embrace new ways of thinking with respect to eco and cultural tourism. According to the Forestry Bureau, the "Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office" was established with four main objectives in mind, the most important of which is to maintain and preserve the Alishan Forest Railway while striving to improve operating safety and service quality. The second objective is to utilize stations along the line as focal points for integrating local resources, aboriginal industries, and revitalizing local economies of mountain villages which dot the railway line. The third objective is to combine forestry and railway resources to create a museum with dynamic exhibits involving forestry and railway culture. The fourth and final objective is to promote forestry culture and rail journeys which tie in Alishan's new image and nostalgic style to create sustainable economic development in the Chiayi region. Recruiting Skilled Talent to Work Together to Operate a World-Class Mountain Railway In addition to continuing to improve safety management and operating performance of the Alishan Forest Railway, the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office will also push for new innovations including enhanced marketing campaigns and new creative concepts focused on in-depth cultural tourism and environmental conservation. Going forward, the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office will continue to engage in cooperation and exchanges with scenic mountain railways in other countries and learn from the experiences of sister railways in the areas of technical expertise and marketing in order to elevate Alishan to new levels of success and make the Alishan Forest Railway synonymous with the "Beauty of Taiwan". According to Director-General Lin, in addition to the railway line, the newly-established Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office will integrate the shared forestry cultural heritage of the Alishan forest recreation area and communities and urban centers near stations along the line, with an eventual goal of establishing an interconnected hub of forestry culture and ecotourism which will have a tremendous positive impact on the development of ecotourism and cultural tourism in the greater Chiayi area. All personnel of the Forestry Bureau and the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office are committed to working hard to improve operating performance so that the Alishan Forest Railway will be able to achieve a splendid transformation and become a leading cultural heritage and tourism attraction in the world.
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