Japan's first priority in resource-rich Taiwan was to build up and develop the railway system. Within one decade, a 297.3 km line was built from Hsinchu to Taichung and Kaohsiung.
面對這塊資源豐富的殖民地，日本人將修築鐵路列為第一要務，在十年內次第完成從新竹經台中抵高雄，共計二九七．三公里的西部縱貫線鐵路。