New Tainan train station opens up later this month

Taiwan Railway Corp’s new station in Tainan is scheduled to open on Oct. 17 as part of a project to shift the mainline rail infrastructure in the city underground, the Railway Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.

Built next to the historic Tainan Station, completion of the new station allows the surrounding area to be redeveloped with a plaza, parking facilities, a transport hub and green space to improve connectivity and passenger access, the bureau said.

The new station is the first Taiwan Railway station to use a color-coded wayfinding system similar to that of the Taiwan High Speed Rail, with blue for northbound trains and green for southbound trains, according to the railroad.

The entrance of Tainan Station is pictured in Tainan on Oct. 1.

Photo: CNA

The new station is part of the Tainan Urban District Railway Underground Project, which aims to reconnect areas of the city divided by street-level railway tracks. The historic Tainan Station is to be preserved as a heritage site, the bureau said.

The project covers an 8.23km section from the southern end of Daciao Station (大橋車站) to about 600m south of Dalin Road, according to the bureau.

It includes two new underground commuter stations, Linsen (林森) and South Tainan (南台南), which are scheduled to open in 2029 and 2030, respectively.

After the new station opens, the street-level railway would be gradually dismantled, allowing work on the second phase, including landscaping and other above-ground facilities, to proceed.

Once completed, the project is expected to eliminate 23 railway crossings and other grade-separated intersections, including nine level crossings, eight underpasses and four overpasses, the bureau said.

Approved in 2009 as part of a broader effort to modernize Taiwan’s railway system in metropolitan areas, the project is expected to be completed in stages through 2031, it said.