Getting the injured quickly to medical treatment was the only bright spot in an otherwise tragic day. The accident was caused by simple human error, but some point out that the railway is underfunded and disaster could have struck in other ways. Each year there are 800,000 visitors to the Alishan Forest Recreation Area, which is under the auspices of the Taiwan Forestry Bureau, and every holiday the area is packed with visitors.
回顧整件意外，雖是人為疏忽，但有識者亦指出，農委會林務局所屬的阿里山森林遊樂區，一年遊客近八十萬人次，每逢假日總是擠得水洩不通。