Alishan Forest Railway's International Friendship Permanent Exhibition Opens at Zhaoping Station

(Central News Agency, Chiayi County, July 1st) The permanent exhibition "Crossing the World's Spine: The International Friendship of the Alishan Forest Railway" opened today at Zhaoping Station, inviting travelers to witness the friendship forged between the Alishan Forest Railway and 11 sister railways from 6 countries, stemming from mountain railway technology and cultural heritage preservation.

The Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Administration of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, stated in a press release that the Alishan Forest Railway embarked on a journey of international railway exchange and cooperation since establishing a sister railway relationship with Japan's Oigawa Railway in 1986. This June, it welcomed its 11th sister railway, Switzerland's Rhaetian Railway, to deepen international railway tourism cooperation.

The Forest Railway Administration said that the permanent exhibition on the Alishan Forest Railway's international railway friendships showcases the stories of the Alishan Forest Railway and its sister railways in Japan, Switzerland, India, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, and Australia. Some of these sister railways were born out of forestry development, while others were built for water conservancy, local industries, or transportation to high-mountain settlements. Although distributed in different corners of Asia, Europe, and Oceania, they all demonstrate the spirit of people facing challenging terrain with wisdom and courage to build railways and coexist with nature.

Wang Chao-pao, Director of the Forest Railway Administration, stated that establishing sister railway relationships is a long-term journey of cultural preservation, technical experience sharing, tourism promotion, and emotional connection. Through this exhibition, travelers from various countries can see how the Alishan Forest Railway starts from "understanding" the perspectives of its international partners, further "appreciating" each other's similarities and differences in engineering technology, scenic landscapes, and railway operations, and eventually developing into a force for international cooperation.

Wang Chao-pao said that by choosing Zhaoping Station to launch the sister railway permanent exhibition, they hope to use the Forest Railway and Alishan National Forest Recreation Area as a starting point to showcase the exchange trajectory between the Alishan Forest Railway and its world sister railways to international travelers visiting Alishan. They hope to enable more travelers to understand how the century-old Alishan Forest Railway, originating from Taiwan's mountains, supports and moves forward together with its world heritage railway and tourist railway partners.

Wang Chao-pao added that the Forest Railway Administration will subsequently set up a "Sister Railway Check-in Wall" at Beimen Station to welcome travelers from all over the world. They hope that travelers from sister railway countries will feel a sense of familiarity when they come to Taiwan and that this international railway friendship can be shared with more people. (Editor: Hsiao Po-wen) 1150701

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