Linrong Shin Kong railway station

Linrong Shin Kong railway station (Chinese: 林榮新光車站; pinyin: Línróng Xīnguāng Chēzhàn) is a railway station on the Taitung line operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration. The station is located in Fenglin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, on the southern end of the Xikou Tunnel, which crosses the Shoufeng River. It is the only underground station on the Taitung line.^[2]

Linrong Shin Kong Station 林榮新光車站
TRA railway station
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	林榮新光車站
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Línróng Xīnguāng Chēzhàn Bopomofo ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄖㄨㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄔㄜ ㄓㄢˋ
General information
Location	Fenglin, Hualien Taiwan
Coordinates	23°48′07.1″N 121°27′42.5″E / 23.801972°N 121.461806°E / 23.801972; 121.461806
Line(s)	Taitung line
Distance	27.7 km to Hualien
Platforms	2 side platforms
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Other information
Station code	038
Classification	Simple (簡易站)^[1]
History
Opened	10 July 2018 (2018-07-10)^[2]
Services
Preceding station Taiwan Railways Following station Fengtian towards Badu Eastern Trunk line Nanping towards Taitung

The station name is a combination of Linrong, a village located nearby, and the Shin Kong Group, who owns the land around the station and financed its construction. The station is located at the entrance of Harvest Ranch and Resort, which is owned by Shin Kong.

History

The original Japanese-era Taitung line, built in a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge, crossed the Shoufeng River on a bridge to the east of the current tracks. On 1 November 1918, a station named Pinglin station (平林停車場)^[a][3] was built on the south bank of the river. In 1962, the station was renamed to Linrong station after the village it was located in.^[4]

Beginning in the 1980s, the Taitung line was rebuilt with a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge. During this process, a straighter route was chosen for the tracks via the Xikou Tunnel underneath the Shoufeng River, and Linrong station closed in 1982 with the opening year of the tunnel. The former station building was removed in 1988, and a park stands at its former site.^[4]

In 2011, during the planning phase of the electrification of the Taitung line, local residents and the Shin Kong Group petitioned for a new station to be built in Linrong. Locals wanted a station to replace Xikou Station, a station on the north of the river that was slated to be closed for low ridership; Shin Kong wanted a station to bring in more tourists to the Harvest Ranch and Resort.^[4] Xikou Tunnel was rebuilt in 2013, and the construction allocated space for a new station. Shin Kong financed the new station's construction, priced at NT$315,000,000. However, groundbreaking for the station was delayed until 7 December 2015 due to issues with acquiring a building permit.^[5] The station was opened on 10 July 2018.^[2]

Services

Despite being classified as a "simple station", the fifth tier, Linrong Shin Kong is served by four Puyuma Express services as well as the Chu-Kuang Express trains 1 and 2, which are excursion trains.^[6][7] Local trains before 8:00 AM and after 3:30 PM do not call at the station.^[8]

Notes

1. "Pinglin" is the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation of the name; the Japanese pronunciation is unclear.

References

1. Statistical Report of Taiwan Railways Administration, 2020. Taiwan Railways Administration. from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
2. 溫嘉楷 (10 July 2018). "民間捐資興建 花東線林榮新光站啟用" [Financed by the private sector, Huatung line's Linrong Shin Kong station opens] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). PTS. from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
3. 大正7年10月臺灣總督府報 (in Japanese). Taiwan Historica: Government-General of Taiwan. 27 October 1918. p. 79. from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
4. 葉文杰 (11 March 2014). [Linrong station is rebuilt, Shin Kong Group donates money and land] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). KS News. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015.
5. 花孟璟 (8 December 2015). "延宕年餘 林榮車站二期動工" [Delayed for more than a year, second phase of Linrong station construction begins] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Liberty Times. from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
6. "Eastern Trunk Line Timetable, Shulin→Taitung" (PDF). Taiwan Railways Administration. (PDF) from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
7. "Eastern Trunk Line Timetable, Taitung→Shulin" (PDF). Taiwan Railway Administration. (PDF) from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
8. "Taitung Line Timetable" (PDF). Taiwan Railways Administration. (PDF) from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to TRA Linrong Shin Kong Station.