Have there been any more updates on the repair of the existing Suhua road?
[quote=“StevenCrook”][quote=“Muzha Man”]I’m sure Chinese and other tourists would love a ferry ride past the Qingshui cliffs. I would.
[/quote]
I would too. In fact, I suspect a lot of Taiwan would look pretty great from a boat. How about a boat service between Danshui and Keelung (Jilong)?[/quote]
I am so totally on the boat! Love being on the water, love seeing the sights, love the pace, don’t have a car here anyway… I hope they bring the ferries back. Also, it sounds like it would be a really good thing for the non-tourists too, both in terms of their transportation convenience AND in bringing the tourists to them to spend money. Win-win-win… who’s got the boats? :bravo:
The local gov’t agency told us Monday 15th 
. I still don’t believe that.
From that KMT site on the new Suhua:
Give the man a medal.
I also say aye to the boats. A wee ferry plying the length of the east coast shelf. Perhaps it could have a poker table.
Boats would be the cats meow though they could probably only run spring to fall as in the old days with cancellations during rough or really foggy weather. They’d have to be large ferry sized vessels too to avoid everyone getting seasick as passengers do on the way to Lanyu or Green Island (the Barf Barge as it is affectionately known).
I love the idea of more trains to the east and also trains starting to pick up some of the cargo and gravel now transported by truck. This combined with the massive downsizing of the gravel industry will mean that when the new freeway opens it will be a safe ride with few trucks. Add in the fact they are going to add a bike lane to the new Suhua and man I can’t wait for 2016 to finally arrive! 
Maybe with ships, they wouldn’t lose any more coach loads of Chinese tourists during typhoons because of landslides.
Just capsizing and sinking ferries… 
Just capsizing and sinking ferries… [/quote]
Chinese are used to that.
I must say the 10,000 ton Hualian Ferry was incredibly nice . It was a probably ten year old Ferry bought from Japan. Used to sail between japanese ports. I say the idea can work again today. People are more used to having different ways of leisure. And there are NO ships at all doing that in Taiwan.
I would say Keelung to Danshui will work (with docking at the new Taipei Harbor, that takes deep sea vessels), Keelung to Hualian . And maybe once a week Hualian to Kaohsiung along the east coast. Is there a harbor they can dock near Taitung? If so docking up in that area and onwards to Kaoshiung. There are many people that would love those mini voyages if the ship is nice and reasonably priced.
They could do trips to Penghu and onwards to China as well.
With these big ocean going ships, they can take bad weather a lot better. Only thing they cant take are the Foons but they can be in dock for those.
I greatly enjoyed my one sailing on the Hualian Ferry . The scenery 100 yards from shore down to Hualian from Keelung was super. We sailed out of Keelung and rounded Keelung Islet and then turned south down the coast. Awesome and all for 200nt !
p.s. the Car ferrys are RORO (roll on , roll off for vehicles, not people silly) and can take container trucks! They could run from Taipei Harbor (and/or Keelung) to Hualian ! It would be great for people too. Take the MRT to Tamshui, hop on a ferry to bali and I think u are not far from Taipei Harbor. Get onboard the ferry and off to hualian. Its an adventure.
Absolutely an adventure. And considering the stellar beauty of the coastline, still almost as undeveloped as when the Portuguese sailed by, it is shocking that ferries do not run this route.
There are boats to Penghu though still. And Matsu.
Well that is commendable, although not sure I fancy it much - 24km of tunnels. And the longest one of 8km, can’t imagine the air deep inside there is going to be pleasant - hope they get the ventilation right. Any idea what will happen to the current Suhua, will it still be maintained as a highway, or closed off and allowed to fall into the sea? Now that would become one great cycle route once the new freeway is up and running…
And with the new Suhua will come even more pressure on Taroko. Isn’t it time they banned the coaches and introduced some electric shuttle buses up and down to Tianxiang? Ban private cars as well, unless you’re going all the way across Hohuan (but then the Hualien taxi drivers wouldn’t like that).
I’m a bit skeptical of boats- it’d be a pain to get have to get to Keelung and then still have 4 to 5 hours to Hualien. Even Taipei Port is pretty inconvenient, and that would probably take an extra hour. As sightseeing though it’d be a lot of fun- why isn’t there this option for seeing Qingshui now? Or is there and I haven’t heard of it yet?
Totally agree with the above about trains. That bit of theater those pro-freeway Hualienites pulled when they took 14 hours to drive to Taipei was a joke. If they took the train it would have been 2 1/2 hours, and regardless being able to drive to Taipei quickly hardly ranks as a “human right”. In addition why would anyone drive to Taipei? There’s barely enough space for locals to park, let alone outsiders.
Instead of building Freeway 5 with 4 lanes, they should have built a 2 lane road and 2 rail tracks. That way the train ride to Hualien would be more like 1 1/2 hours, and to Yilan more like 40 minutes. You would solve the congestion problem because people could take a train, which does not get in traffic jams and can move more people than highways. You’d also be helping the environment.
Well that is commendable, although not sure I fancy it much - 24km of tunnels. And the longest one of 8km, can’t imagine the air deep inside there is going to be pleasant - hope they get the ventilation right. Any idea what will happen to the current Suhua, will it still be maintained as a highway, or closed off and allowed to fall into the sea? Now that would become one great cycle route once the new freeway is up and running…
And with the new Suhua will come even more pressure on Taroko. Isn’t it time they banned the coaches and introduced some electric shuttle buses up and down to Tianxiang? Ban private cars as well, unless you’re going all the way across Hehuan (but then the Hualian taxi drivers wouldn’t like that).[/quote]
That’s a really good point. I wonder if the bike route will be largely along the old highway then as you speculate. That would be fun as it’s sure more scenic than riding through tunnels.
As for taroko, it won’t be long before they have a shuttle service. The Chinese won’t complain as most of their natural scenic areas are like that now.
Jiuzaigou 九寨沟 in Sichuan is a model that the Taroko authorities would do well to emulate.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/hualien/2010/11/13/279748/Disaster-hit-Suhua.htm
Opening tomorrow Nov 15th - good going guys.
“Before the government starts building an safer route along the highway, the highway bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Commutations …” :bravo:
Commutations is what happens to your body when tons of rocks push your bus over the side.
“Before the government starts building an safer route along the highway, the highway bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Commutations …” :bravo:[/quote]
Apart from the utter clusterfuck of the tenses there, I have to raise my eyebrows at “40-foot-high” containers. Them’s some MIGHTY tall containers!
What a joke! Hignoramuses writing hignoramus pieces for a bunch of hignoramuses. Standard China Post practice.
[quote=“Poagao”][quote=“StevenCrook”][quote=“Muzha Man”]I’m sure Chinese and other tourists would love a ferry ride past the Qingshui cliffs. I would.
[/quote]
I would too. In fact, I suspect a lot of Taiwan would look pretty great from a boat. How about a boat service between Danshui and Keelung (Jilong) (Jilong)?[/quote]
I agree; there used to be ships plying the waters all over the region, to Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Shanghai, etc. to and from various ports in Taiwan. I’d love for more passenger shipping to open up in the region. Japanese islands are just a short boat ride from Hualian, and larger boats could take people all around the island as well as to nearby countries. Then again, I have a certain affection for ships that most people may not share in their rush to get places on jets these days.[/quote]
I love taking boats, too - my first trip from London to Taiwan was made entirely by boat and train, and I’d always choose to travel by boat instead of plane if given the choice.
A ferry ride from Su’ao to Hualien would be the perfect way to make that journey, especially if it were a drive-on car ferry. I can’t think why there hasn’t been more public discussion of this as an alternative to the road, railway and flights, and a great addition to Taiwan’s tourist attractions.
When the government reorganization takes effect on January 1, 2012, there’s going to be a new Maritime Commission (海洋委員會) in the Executive Yuan, which suggests that the government will be placing much more emphasis on developing Taiwan’s sea transportation, so this ought to bode well for the opening of more ferry services around Taiwan in the not-too-distant future.
[quote=“Omniloquacious”][quote=“Poagao”][quote=“StevenCrook”][quote=“Muzha Man”]I’m sure Chinese and other tourists would love a ferry ride past the Qingshui cliffs. I would.
[/quote]
I would too. In fact, I suspect a lot of Taiwan would look pretty great from a boat. How about a boat service between Danshui and Keelung (Jilong) (Jilong) (Jilong)?[/quote]
I agree; there used to be ships plying the waters all over the region, to Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Shanghai, etc. to and from various ports in Taiwan. I’d love for more passenger shipping to open up in the region. Japanese islands are just a short boat ride from Hualian, and larger boats could take people all around the island as well as to nearby countries. Then again, I have a certain affection for ships that most people may not share in their rush to get places on jets these days.[/quote]
I love taking boats, too - my first trip from London to Taiwan was made entirely by boat and train, and I’d always choose to travel by boat instead of plane if given the choice.
A ferry ride from Su’ao to Hualian would be the perfect way to make that journey, especially if it were a drive-on car ferry. I can’t think why there hasn’t been more public discussion of this as an alternative to the road, railway and flights, and a great addition to Taiwan’s tourist attractions.
When the government reorganization takes effect on January 1, 2012, there’s going to be a new Maritime Commission (海洋委員會) in the Executive Yuan, which suggests that the government will be placing much more emphasis on developing Taiwan’s sea transportation, so this ought to bode well for the opening of more ferry services around Taiwan in the not-too-distant future.[/quote]
Ferry service between Suao and Hualian was part of CSB’s Blue Highway. The service was only operational for about six months before it was terminated due to lack of demand.
english.president.gov.tw/Default … &rmid=2355
[quote=“chung”]Ferry service between Suao and Hualian was part of CSB’s Blue Highway. The service was only operational for about six months before it was terminated due to lack of demand.
english.president.gov.tw/Default … &rmid=2355[/quote]
That was in July 2003, well before the opening of the No. 5 freeway from Taipei to Ilan, long before Taiwan opened to mainland Chinese tourists, and before the government prioritized promotion of the tourism industry. I’m sure it would have much better prospects of succeeding now.