Bureau Deputy Director Chen Yun-yung said the 12-kilometer line extension would cost more than NT$1 billion (US$30 million), based on an existing tourism line operated by the bureau at a former plant by state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC).

The Taisugar plant was made into a cultural park in 2002, and the steamed trains used to draw visitors to the park had been responsible in the past for transporting sugar cane from fields in the Sihu area to the plant, Chen said.

The extended line departing from Sihu will pass through Pusin before reaching Lugang -- one of Taiwan's oldest and culturally rich towns. Tourism establishments will also be set up at the stops along the line.

Yang Ching-jen, a local history expert, said the extended line will not only help preserve the railway near Lugang, but will also help meet local demand for greater passenger volume after the fourth-phase construction of the Central Taiwan Science Park in Erlin is completed.

(By Flor Wang)