What Happens When a City Hides Its Trains Underground?
Friday, October 23, 2026167 words3 minutes155 reads
In Tainan, Taiwan, a railway connects the city from north to south but makes travel between its eastern and western neighbourhoods difficult. Trains and the structures around the tracks create barriers for people walking or cycling. Moving the railway underground could help reconnect these areas.
An 8.23-kilometre underground section is expected to open on October 17. The project received approval in 2009. Eventually, it will remove 23 railway crossings and related structures. However, workers must still remove old tracks and restore roads after underground services begin.
The city plans to turn the former railway route into a green corridor about 30 metres wide, with walking and cycling paths and landscaped areas. It could link neighbourhoods, schools and public facilities. This remains a plan, rather than a finished park.
Meanwhile, the historic station building, rebuilt in 1936, will remain beside the new underground station. Possible future uses include reading spaces and exhibitions. The change offers a chance to improve daily journeys while keeping a connection to local history.
