In 2009, Typhoon Morakot made landfall in Taiwan and the Alishan area was particularly hard hit with some 2700mm of rain falling in just three days. All this water caused a huge number of landslides which have severely affected the rail line.
According to the government, the rail line is scheduled to reopen in 2011 but it’s very hard to imagine that it will.
Currently trains run to Zhushan and Shenmu stations inside the Forest Recreation Area, but not from Chiayi.
Alishan can still be accessed via the number 18 highway and there are regular buses that run from Chiayi.