Shifen Station Introduction
Shifen Station is located in the Pingxi District of New Taipei City and serves as a major railway station on the Taiwan Railway Administration's Pingxi Line. It is the first major station on the line. When a train stops here, the driver exchanges an old copper sign (a train pass) to authorize the train to continue its journey, creating a unique railway scenery in the area. Originally built for coal transportation, the revitalization of the century-old railway along the Keelung River Valley has transformed the Pingxi Branch Line into a tourist attraction. The line was initially established by the Taiwan Yōkō Company as the Shihti Railway, running 12.9 kilometers from Sandiaoling Station to Jingtong Station. It was completed in 1921 and later nationalized by the Taiwan Governor-General's Railway Bureau in 1929, which also began passenger services. However, due to a decline in coal production leading to population outflow since the 1970s, the Taiwan Railway Administration considered discontinuing services in 1989 due to financial losses. Thanks to vigorous efforts from local residents, the Taiwan Railway Administration eventually designated the Pingxi Branch Line as a tourist line in 1992. Currently, there are seven stations on the line: Sandiaoling, Dahua, Shifen, Wanggu, Lingjiao, Pingxi, and Jingtong, with a travel time of about 40 minutes. The area around Shifen Station is famous for the Shifen Old Street and the Jing'an Suspension Bridge, where visitors can browse shops along the railway tracks and enjoy local snacks. The most distinctive feature is not the old buildings, but the unique sight of trains passing by the station's entrance! In recent years, Shifen has become a must-visit destination for international tourists in Taiwan. Here, visitors can write wishes and blessings with a brush on sky lanterns, and under the guidance of shopkeepers, release the lanterns and watch them ascend gracefully in the small town — creating the most beautiful impression of Shifen.
