After 9 Years of Restoration, Taiwan’s National Railway Museum Finally Opens (July 31, 2025)
After years of anticipation, the National Railway Museum (國家鐵道博物館) in Taipei finally opened its doors to the public on July 31, 2025. The museum is located on the historic grounds of the Taipei Railway Workshop(link to wiki) which was built in 1935.
Before the official opening, I had the unique opportunity to visit the preparatory office three times during its pre-opening phase. In this post, I’ll share photos and memories from those visits, plus some tips for your future trip (note: some displays have changed since the official opening).
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Why the National Railway Museum Is Special
When I was still a student, I often commuted by train. I was never a hardcore rail fan, but I’ve always loved the sight of trains and the feeling of stepping onto a platform.
Later, when I worked at ELLE, where the office is located at Songshan Cultural Park, I often walked along Keelung Road behind the site. Seeing this historic railway facility finally reborn as a museum after so many years feels incredible.
The total museum area covers 16.79 hectares, making it one of the largest railway museum sites in Asia. The first phase of the museum, currently open to visitors, focuses on the north section of the campus.
My Pre-Opening Visits
September 2023 – Cultural Expo Special Tour
My first visit was in September 2023 during the Taiwan Cultural Expo, when the museum held special open house events. One highlight was riding the restored DR2303 diesel passenger car, an iconic piece of railway history, and trying a deluxe railway bento box (NT$150, and surprisingly delicious!).
November 2023 – Guided Architectural Tour
Later that year, I booked one of the weekday guided tours through the official website. These tours were offered monthly, focusing on different themes—regular tours, architecture, photography, and even “vision” tours. Each one had a slightly different focus, but all required visitors to stay with the group and not wander off.
One fun souvenir was a huge railway-themed sticker—a small but thoughtful touch that showed how much effort the preparatory office put into visitor experience.
June 2024 – Group Reservation Tour
My third visit was in June 2024, again as part of a group tour. This time, I noticed many changes—new display boards, updated layouts, and refined exhibit areas. Seeing the progress over time felt like growing alongside the museum itself.
At the end of this article, I’ll also share some older posters I photographed on the workshop’s outer wall before opening day.
National Railway Museum Tickets
As of 2025:
- Permanent Exhibition of Diesel-Electric Locomotive Workshop tickets: NT$100 (adults), NT$50 (students), seniors 65+ half price on weekends (free on weekdays), and children under six are free.
- Blue Diesel Train ride: NT$150 (adults), NT$75 (concession). Tickets for the ride must be purchased in advance online. However, it’s somewhat hard for foreigners to buy the ticket and I can’t find the correct information online but here’s the website in Mandarin.
The Age of Steam – The Employee Bathhouse: A Permanent Exhibition
One of the most interesting permanent exhibitions is the Employee Bathhouse, which was already partially open during my 2023 visit. Link to Official website introduction.
This bathhouse was historically significant because working in the railway workshop meant dealing with a lot of oil and grease. Workers would take a bath before heading home. The exhibit features clothes hanging as if workers just left, and they even added mist effects to simulate steam.
This space was also the only air-conditioned room in the facility back in 2023—a welcome relief during the summer tours.
The guided tour started here, giving visitors an overview of the workshop’s layout. I was lucky to have Ling Zong-Kuei as my tour guide twice.
The volunteer told me he’s in charge of training volunteers so it’s rare to have him as guide. He even has a popular YouTube channel discussing architecture.
Remember to check out the backside of the photos.
By 2024, the exhibit expanded to include video interviews with former employees and stories of couples who met and got married while working at the workshop.
Fun fact: Jay Chou’s movie The Rooftop and Luc Besson’s Lucy both filmed scenes here, showing how unique this location is.
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On-Site Exhibition of the Main Office
In 2023, the on-site exhibition focused on a single restored Deputy Plant Manager’s Office, featuring personal items and oral history from a legendary master of steam locomotive restoration.
Next door was an audiovisual exhibit highlighting the history of the museum.
After the official opening, this exhibit area was expanded, showcasing more artifacts and multimedia content.
Diesel Passenger Car Ride Experience
One of my favorite experiences was riding the Blue Diesel Train (DR2303) in both 2023 and 2024. This short ride (around five minutes) is currently the only operational above-ground rail segment in Taipei.
The sight of the blue train running through green fields and blue skies felt nostalgic and refreshing at the same time.
Blacksmith Workshop
The Blacksmith Workshop area features an interesting scenic pond built by workers themselves.
During my visits, the workshop hosted an art installation with lights and sound effects. While it’s currently not part of the public tour route, it’s worth checking the official site to see if it reopens in the future.
One highlight is the 1889 British-made steam hammer, which was too heavy to move when the workshop relocated, so it stayed in place as a historic relic.
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Diesel-Electric Locomotive shop
This is arguably the heart of the museum—a huge 2,000-square-meter space that houses 24 restored and historically verified trains.
The below are photos taken in 2023 and 20224
Oil-soaked cypress flooring designed to absorb vibration and grease.
A U.S. aid-era tank car.
A guard’s van exported to Thailand in the 1960s (100 units sold, one repatriated in 2020).
The luxury tourist train that once served abalone and lobster onboard.
The iconic EMU100 series express trains, nicknamed “British Girl” when new but later humorously called “British Granny” as they aged.
Another unique design feature: pointed roof windows that allowed more natural sunlight into the space.
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Bogie Cleaning Shed & Other Areas
Other interesting areas include the bogie cleaning shed, old Kuomintang party offices (built with separated first and second floors for security reasons), the Songshan Materials Plant, and even an air-raid shelter.
Outside the auditorium is a raised platform built to match train platform height, with windows underneath that allow natural light into the basement.
Even the restroom signs are adorable—small details that add charm to the visit.
Unboxing video by my brother
Posters on the Taipei Railway Workshop Exterior
Before the museum opened, the workshop’s exterior walls often displayed large informative posters. I photographed some in 2023 at the Dongxing Road and Civic Boulevard intersection.
By 2025, these were replaced with new posters focusing on the Paint Shop and other recently restored facilities.
Conclusion
Having a “living museum” like this in the heart of Taipei is truly special. Many railway museums around the world focus on static indoor exhibits, but this one allows you to experience the scale and atmosphere of an actual historic railway workshop.
It’s not just a museum; it’s a journey through Taiwan’s industrial and railway history. Whether you’re a railway enthusiast or just curious about local history, the National Railway Museum is worth a visit. Wear sunscreen and bring water: The site is large and many areas are outdoors.
I plan to return soon to explore the officially opened areas and will share updated photos and impressions when I do!
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8 comments
I can´t believe how many times you have visited the Taiwan national railway museum! It looks really unique and interesting so I am definitely adding it to my list of things to do in Taiwan!
Yes please! Add it to the list!
This is an absolutely fantastic guide! Living museums are always SO cool – this is on my list!
Thanks!
I love this kind of living museum – it is extra cool that they have things like the bathhouse! It looks like so much fun to explore – it’s just a shame that it was closed for so long!
It took so many years to renovate!
Woah, this place looks so fascinating! Love that the way they’ve set the washhouse. Will definitely include this in my next visit to Taiwan, but it’s something I would’ve ignored on a map without this much detail.
This is a super new destination so there’s not much information about it in English!