Old Caoling Tunnel reopens for bicyclists

My travel story last week.


(via 冬烘居部落格)

The Old Caoling (草嶺)Tunnel on the Northeastern Coast is reopening in August, and if you're a bicycle rider,you're may like like it. The once longest tunnel in Taiwan has been renovated to accomodate hikers and biker alike. Visitors enter on the mountain side and exit 2.7 kilometers later on the Pacific Ocean side to a breath-taking view. FTV's Michella Jade Weng found it a great way to experience Taiwan's railway history on a bicycle.##

[[Tour Taiwan intro animation]]

This is the Old Caoling Tunnel in Fulong, Taipei County.

[[NS 丟丟咚 music]]

It's the tunnel that's sang about in the folk song "Diu Diu Dang."

NE Coast Scenic Admin Deputy Director
Eric Lin:
When you're riding in the tunnel, you can hear these train whistles (we've installed), so you get this feeling that you have to move aside to let the train pass.

The Old Caoling Tunnel was one of the most important tunnels in Taiwan nearly a hundred years ago.

FTV Reporter
Michella Jade Weng:
This tunnel is a class three hisotrical site. It was built by the Japanese in 1921. You can still feel on the walls the coal left by the steam trains from then. And at that time, it was the longest tunnel in Taiwan and the most difficult to make.

Touching the coal dust feels like coming in contact with almost a century of railroad history.

[[NS Wow! The Pacific Ocean! Turtle Island!]]

On the other side of the 2.7 kilometer tunnel is the Pacific Ocean. On a nice day, you can see Turtle Island from here.

Bicyclist:
It's like we've just gone through the tunnel of time.

The tunnel's scheduled to reopen on 9 August. To get here, you can take a train to Fulong Station and then rent a bicycle. It's a nice way to experience Taiwan's railway history, on two wheels.

Michella Jade Weng, Formosa TV, Fulong, Taiwan.

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My interviewees


喜歡騎腳踏車的民眾，週末又多了一個特別的去處了。民國10年興建的舊草嶺隧道改為腳踏
車佈道，預計在八月九號重新開幕。隧道的一頭是山景，另一頭則是海的風景，加上隧道裡
的懷舊氣氛，讓民眾覺得彷彿在走時光隧道。##

[[片頭]]

到台北縣福隆，看到路上的鐵道圖騰，跟著走，就會來到舊草嶺隧道。

[[NS 丟丟咚]]

童謠丟丟咚裡唱的就是舊草嶺隧道。

東北角景管處副處長:
進了隧道以後 你可以感覺在騎腳踏車的時候
隨時好像後面有火車追過來 有火車氣笛的響聲
所以你聽到汽笛的聲音 你會感覺要馬上靠左或靠右
讓火車先過。

舊草嶺隧道是將近100年前台灣最重要的隧道之一。

民視記者翁郁容:
舊草嶺隧道是一個三級古蹟 是在大正十年
也就是民國十年興建的 我們在牆壁上
還可以摸到當時蒸氣火車留下來的煤灰。

摸到這黑嘛嘛的煤灰，好像摸到九十多年的歷史，感覺很特別。

[[NS 哇 太平洋! 龜山島!]]

隧道的另一頭，就是太平洋，天氣好的時候還看得到龜山島。

遊客:
好像彷彿走過時光隧道 出來的時候
看到這一片海的時候 還蠻驚訝的
因為那一邊是山 忽然走過來這邊是面海
突然看到海的那種感覺 真的很棒。

舊草嶺隧道，預計八月九日正式成為觀光腳踏車步道，您可以搭火車到福隆，然後在附近租
腳踏車，輕鬆騎著鐵馬，體驗台灣鐵路歷史。



民視新聞 翁郁容 楊麒民 李澤民 台北報導

The famous Fulong lunch box is something you can try when you're there. It's not exactly the best tasting lunch box on the planet, but it's OK and it's fun. When you go to Italy, you have pasta. When you go to Fulong, you have Fulong lunch box.







More pictures here.