When people think of Dajia (大甲), a bustling coastal district in Taichung, Taiwan, two things immediately come to mind: the legendary, whirlwind energy of the Mazu Pilgrimage and the fine craftsmanship of traditional Dajia rush hats and mats.
But there is another silent witness to Dajia’s growth - a place where cultural devotion, local history, and nostalgia intersect. Welcome to Dajia Railway Station, the busiest and highest-ranking hub on the Taiwan Railway (TRA) Coastal Line.
Dajia Station (大甲車站)
Whether you are a railway enthusiast or a traveler seeking the authentic soul of Taiwan, here is why Dajia Station deserves a prominent spot on your itinerary.
1. When a Station "Goes Mad" for Mazu
Every year during the third month of the lunar calendar, Dajia transforms. The world-renowned Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage - recognized by the Discovery Channel as one of the world’s three major religious celebrations - kicks off, and Dajia Station becomes the epicenter of a massive human tide. During the peak of the pilgrimage, tens of thousands of pilgrims flood the station. Historically, entire trains were chartered by pilgrim groups just to come here and pay their respects!
2. A Architectural Marvel of the 1960s
First opened as a humble wooden structure called "Dajia Ekki" (大甲驛) under Japanese rule in 1922, the station quickly outgrew its capacity as the local economy boomed. In 1966, the station was rebuilt into the reinforced concrete structure we see today. Unlike the sterile, boxy designs of modern renovations, Dajia Station features a lively, avant-garde facade composed of striking geometric triangular lines - a true architectural masterpiece of its era.
3. The Lost "Sugar Railway" (糖鐵) Connection
Did you know that Dajia once boasted two railway stations? Long before the TRA arrived, the Sugar Railway (popularly known as the "Five-Cent Trains" or Wufen-che) set up a station here in 1912 to transport sugarcane and passengers. For decades, this small sugar railway served as a unique, independent "transverse railway" connecting the Mountain Line (Houli) to the Coastal Line (Dajia). While the highway boom led to its termination in 1970, the old sugar station site lives on in local memory, having served for years as the Fengyuan Bus Dajia Terminal.
4. Hidden Engineering Gems Nearby
If you take a train to Dajia, keep your eyes peeled for these two fascinating structural landmarks just outside the station: The Old Lower Da'an River Bridge. While a new bridge has since been built, the old historic bridge is beautifully preserved.
Located about 0.7 km south of the station lies a 40-meter-long tunnel—the only one of its kind on the Western Trunk Line. It cuts directly underneath the Zhuangwei Creek. It's so short that if you blink, you’ll completely miss the fact that a river is flowing right above your train!
Dajia Zhenlan Temple (大甲鎮瀾宮)
The heart and soul of Dajia - and the reason the railway station floods with millions of people every spring - is Dajia Zhenlan Temple (大甲鎮瀾宮).
Located just a short, 5-minute walk down Shuntian Road from Dajia Station, it is one of the most prestigious, historically significant, and vibrant Mazu temples in Taiwan. While the temple is a bustling place of worship year-round, it becomes the center of the Taiwanese religious world during the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage every third lunar month (usually falling around April). The statue of Mazu is placed in a palanquin and carried on foot for a grueling 9-day, 8-night journey spanning over 340 kilometers through four counties (Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, and Chiayi) before returning home. Millions of devotees join parts of the march, sleep on temple floors, and offer free food and water along the route. It is widely considered the ultimate expression of Taiwanese folk religion and community spirit.
If you visit Zhenlan Temple, don't just look at the smoke from the incense brenners. Head inside to see these incredible cultural artifacts:
The Golden Mazu (金媽祖) - Located in the basement museum, this stunning statue of Mazu stands over 4 feet tall and is cast from over 276 kilograms of pure gold donated entirely by faithful worshippers.
The Jade Mazu (翡翠媽祖) - Gifted to the temple, this breathtaking statue is carved from a single, massive piece of high-quality emerald-green jade, weighing over 1.5 tons.
The Purple Clay Pottery (剪黏) and Stone Carvings - Look up at the pillars and roof eaves. The intricate, colorful dragons and historical scenes are created using traditional stone-carving and Jiannian (a technique where artisans cut colorful porcelain bowls into shards to piece together vibrant mosaic figures.
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