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Kaohsiung’s railway history began in 1900 with the establishment of Takao Station, located near today’s Wufu 4th Road, alongside its maintenance depot and signal tower. Beyond the station lay vast lagoons and intertidal zones. As rail transport flourished, the need for expansion became evident. In 1905, a 500-meter railway extension was built southward over reclaimed land, known as the Coastal Line. The Japanese pronunciation of “Coastal Line” (HA-MA-SEN) gradually evolved into the name Hamasen, a term deeply embedded in the identity of the local community. In 1908, the station was further expanded southward to what is now known as Old Takao Station (Takao Railway Museum).
The present-day Hamasen Park is the historic Takao Station from the Japanese colonial era. As Kaohsiung’s first train station, it served as a crucial transit hub for sugar and various goods entering and leaving Taiwan, marking the starting point of Kaohsiung’s century-long urban development. After the relocation of passenger services in 1941, the station continued operations under the name Kaohsiung Port Station, handling freight transport until its closure in 2008 as part of the city’s railway undergrounding project.
In 2024, as Kaohsiung celebrates its centennial, the revival of its historic railway stands as one of the city’s most significant projects. Beyond the return of the “Hamasen Express,” a diverse collection of locomotives from across Taiwan has been gathered and displayed at Hamasen Park, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the city’s railway heritage.
