Alishan Forest Railway and Swiss Rhaetian Railway Sign Sister Railway Agreement

According to the Central News Agency, high-mountain scenery, railways, and heritage preservation have become a common language between Taiwan and Switzerland. Lin Hua-ching, Director-General of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, led a delegation to St. Moritz, Switzerland, to sign a sister railway agreement with the Rhaetian Railway (RhB), which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, to jointly develop the international railway tourism market. The signing ceremony on the 1st was hosted by Rhaetian Railway CEO Renato Fasciati, with attendees including Taiwan's Representative to Switzerland Wang Shih-wei, St. Moritz Mayor Christian Jott Jenny, Pontresina Mayor Nora Saratz Cazin, and representatives from the Swiss Taiwan Business Alliance. The Rhaetian Railway spans 385 km, with 30% of the tracks running at altitudes above 1,500 meters, crossing the Alps. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. With over 15 million passengers annually, Taiwanese tourists are a key Asian market. The Alishan Forest Railway runs 71.4 km from Chiayi City to Alishan, traversing diverse climate zones from 40m to 3,952m in altitude.