Taitung line


The Taitung Line, also known as the Hua-Tung line, is the southern section of the Eastern Line of the Taiwan Railways Administration. The line starts at the Hualien station and ends at the Taitung station. It is 161.5 km long, including the main segment of 155.7 km between Hualien and Taitung.
The coastal branch lines of Hualien and Taitung were discarded after the broadening plan in 1982. The broadcasts of the station names on Taitung line are made in five languages: Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, English, and Amis. Broadcasts in Amis language only exists in Taitung line.

Blue:Hualien–Taitung Line
Green: Hualien Port Line
Red: Hualien Port Line

History

The north segment from Karenkō to Poshiko was built in 1909 and completed in 1917. The south segment form Hinan to Rirō was opened in 1919 by the Taitō Development Company.
In 1922, the Taitō Development Company bought the railroad from Karenkō to Tamazato and called it the "Taitō North Line", while the south segment of Taitō to Rirō was called the "Taitō South Line."
The connecting railway between Tamazato to Rirō was begun in 1921 and completed in 1926, after which the total length was 171.8 km from Karenkō to Taitō.
In 1966, the Kuang-Hua Express, utilizing diesel multiple units, started service in this line and greatly shortened the traveling time from Hualien to Taitung from 6–7 hours to 3–4 hours.
Its gauge was changed from narrow gauge to gauge in 1982 and connected with North-link line, after which the old Hualien Station was discarded and replaced by the Hualien railway station that is used now.
In 2007, the Environmental Protection Administration gave the line a conditional pass for an electrification project, which will boost the operating speed from 110 km/hr to 130 km/hr. In 2009, construction began on electrification work, with NT$15.5 billion set aside for the project. Electrification work was completed in late 2013 with the inauguration of electric services in late June 2014.

Electrification of the Hualien-Taitung Line

Together with the electrification of the Hualien-Taitung Line, the following stations were upgraded.