page_title: Taiwan Railways Administration
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Taiwan Railways Administration / History
caption_attribution_description: Teng-Yung locomotive photo by lin(tra)(1999.01) scan by winertai(2006.03 scan) 騰雲號於台北機廠修理情況 1999.01拍攝 2006.02重新掃描
context_page_description: Taiwan Railways Administration, is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services on 1097 km of track in Taiwan.
  Since Taiwan is heavily urbanised with a high population density, railways have played an important part in domestic transportation since the late 19th century. Passenger traffic in 2018 was 231,267,955.
  The agency's headquarters are in Zhongzheng District, Taipei.
context_section_description: The first Taiwanese railway was completed during the Qing era in 1893. In 1895, the Qing Empire ceded Formosa (Taiwan) to the Empire of Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War. The line was about 100 kilometres (62 mi) in length but in a poor condition when the Japanese arrived:
  Accordingly work was commenced on the line at once. The Kelung-Taihoku branch was completely reconstructed as so to avoid the numerous short curves and the steep grades. The line leading from Taihoku to the south received also some attention, the total cost of these improvements reaching nearly two million yen.
  — J. Davidson, The Island of Formosa, 
  We thus have practically a new line to Kelung and another to Sinchiku (formerly Teckcham). In addition to these, new lines were constructed from Taihoku to Tamsui, and from Takow [Kaohsiung] to Shinyeisho via Tainanfu, which gives us a total of ninety-three miles of rail. The trunk line connecting the north and south is now in course of construction.
  — J. Davidson, Formosa under Japanese rule, 
  The Official Japanese Annual Report of 1935 states (under title Colonial Railways Section II Taiwan):
  It was not until the cession of the Island of Taiwan (Formosa) from the Chinese Government to Japan that the island began to enjoy railway facilities, for prior that time the only railroad existing was a small light railway between Keelung and Hsinchu built at the time of the Qing Dynasty of China. Soon after the cession the Governor-General of Taiwan established a plan, with approbation of the Diet, to build a standard Japanese gauge railway connecting Takao (Kaohsiung) with Keelung at the expense of 28.800.000 yen. The work of construction was started from both termini and finished in April 1908. This 429.3 mile (690.7 km) line now forms the trunk line in the island communication system.
  The Imperial Taiwan Government Railway manages three workshops in the Island viz. one each at Taihoku, Takao and Kwarenko. The last mentioned is for East Coast line rolling stock.
  — Taiwan Railways Administration, History,
caption: The Teng-yun (Chinese: 騰雲), built by Hohenzollern Locomotive Works, was first steam locomotive operated in Taiwan.
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