The elevated Taichung section of the Taiwan Railroad opened for business on Oct. 16, 2016. The opening had been delayed a number of times (see blog post Taichung's Uplifting Vision ) but finally they got it done; well, not completely done. They completed enough so at least the trains could run. The new stations they added have not been opened, and the structure under the stations' fourth track at Fengyuan, Tantze, Taiyuan, and even the main Taichung Station haven't been constructed yet because it would have interfered with the service on the surface line.
No more will we hear the ding ding ding of the railroad crossing speakers, or encounter red lights and guards at the dozens of crossings; traffic is moving more smoothly already. But the railroad underpasses and overpasses are still in place and there is still traffic there. It is a guessing game which roads will be connected first over the now abandoned surface tracks and which underpasses will be filled. In all there are 38 crossings: 17 grade level, 18 underpasses and 3 overpasses that will become obsolete.
The northeastern section of Taichung, past Dongshan Road, will have a new housing project added to the new vehicular and bicycle bridges over the Han River on Sung-Tsu 5th Road. Another bridge, near Wagor Private school on Guang-Fu 19th Road, will connect to a new road that runs through the project to Beitun Road, opening up a whole sector of Taichung previously blocked to Sung-Tsu Road. The Han River is not bridged again until the Highway 74 overpass, perhaps two miles further north. The road under highway 74 will be built across the old tracks first, due February 2017, and access can be gained to the overpass entrance and exit ramps or to Han River West Road where traffic must turn south. near the new light-rail train depot, it becomes a two-way street with yet another road crossing the old tracks to Beitun Road. At Sungtzu Road, Taiwan Rail will have a new transfer station with it before heading east to the depot terminus. The light rai will circle Taichung from the Westside and meet up with Taiwan Rail again to form a loop at the Daqing station. 
Our local station, Taiyuan Road, will be a four track station with platforms between each pair, northbound on the west, southbound on the east, following the trend set by the Japanese who followed the British model. Only the current stations will have four tracks; two for local train layovers. The new stations will still have two tracks with no layover for locals; the express trains will be scheduled around them. Express trains will pass through the station off platform, not in between. Between stations, there are still only one north and one southbound track. Until the fourth northbound bound layover track is constructed, the local and express will share one track at all stations.
At the Taiyuan station, a crook in the road has been created for handicapped and 'kiss and ride' parking, with a taxi stand along the main road. This will be dismantled after Taiyuan road is connected making the underpass obsolete. Meanwhile, there is a traffic problem with taxis backing up off the main road to make a u-turn to go north or east on Taiyuan Road. I have seen a disregard for traffic rules already and an accident is waiting to happen. The taxi stand and 'kiss and ride' should be switched and an extra traffic light put in place for taxis making u-turns, but I'm not holding my breath for that to happen. Meanwhile, the new parking areas under the el for motorcycles and cars is already filled to capacity. More areas are urgently needed if strap-hangers are to park and ride.
As a bicyclist, I am hoping that the plan to turn the old rail line into a bike path and mall comes to fruition. Mayor Lin wants a path to run from Fengyuan to Wu-er. I dream of the day bicyclists can have right-of-way to the Westside from Beitun.
As a bicyclist, I am hoping that the plan to turn the old rail line into a bike path and mall comes to fruition. Mayor Lin wants a path to run from Fengyuan to Wu-er. I dream of the day bicyclists can have right-of-way to the Westside from Beitun.
The old Taichung Station will thankfully remain as a museum and tourist attraction, a terminal for BRT buses to run up Taiwan Boulevard to the Westside and across the Dadu mountains to the coastal cities, even a shuttle to the Taichung International Airport. But for now, to gain access to the elevated line to its east, one must walk through a maze across a temporary bridge over the old tracks, 
The Taichung station platforms are wide and bright with warning lights along the edges that light when a train is arriving, similar to the HSR platform lights. The platforms are extra long to accommodate the eight-car trains currently in use; even ten cars in the future. Because the main rotunda has not been completed, the ticket offices and machines are ill-placed in the lobby, and the escalators, stairs, and elevators to the platforms are not yet all in use. The LED signs are large and clear. There are plenty of benches in the center of the platforms, that is on the 
southbound side as the northbound has one track only and the platform is partitioned in half until it is constructed; this was an accommodation until the grade-level tracks were abandoned.
The rotunda of the new Taichung Train Station will be roomy, for sure, and it will be air-conditioned. Solar panels are being placed on its roof to perhaps make it more green and energy self sufficient. We will see
how that works out.
It may well be overdue, but finally Taichung is on its way to redeveloping its downtown area, creating a gateway corridor to beautiful Taichung Park, and creating a park near in the abandoned Empire Sugarcane processing plant on the Eastside near the relocated Jian-Guo Market. It all makes for a tourist hub for local and international travelers to Sun Moon Lake, Taroko Gorge, Guguan Hot Springs, even Alishan Mountain and the Southern Branch of the Palace Museum; all of central Taiwan.
| Preceding station | Taiwan Railway Administration | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
toward Keelung
| Western Line
Mountain Line
|
toward Kaohsiung
|
- Future
| Preceding station | Taiwan Railway Administration | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
toward Keelung
| Western Line |
toward Kaohsiung
| ||
| Preceding station | Taichung Metro | Following station | ||
|
toward Fengyuan
| Red Line |
toward Xinwuri
| ||
|
toward BA5 (planned)
| Blue Line |
Terminus
| ||
|
toward OA4 (planned)
| Orange Line |
toward O17 (planned)
|
