Taihoku Station (Third-Generation Building)

The third-generation Taihoku Station (台北驛) was the centerpiece of Taiwan's railway network during the final years of Japanese colonial rule and throughout World War II. Rebuilt on the same site from 1939 to a design by Ushiki Takeo (宇敷赳夫) and completed in 1940 (some sources date its opening to 1941), the modernist concrete building replaced the earlier Renaissance-style second-generation station that had served since 1901, reflecting both the growing passenger traffic and Japan's ambitions to project modernity across its empire.

Designed to accommodate the dramatically increased demand for rail transportation, the new station featured a spacious and functional layout. It handled long-distance services on the West Coast trunk line to Tainan and Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan as well as the Tamsui Line to the north. The station complex included a post office, restaurants, and passenger amenities that made it the most advanced transportation facility on the island.

During World War II, Taihoku Station became an indispensable military logistics hub. As Japan launched its southward advance following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Taiwan served as a critical staging area for operations in Southeast Asia. The station facilitated the movement of troops, military supplies, and war materials across the island's railway network, connecting ports, airfields, and military installations. The rail system was essential for transporting resources from Taiwan's industrial and agricultural interior to ports for shipment to the front lines.

As American strategic bombing intensified in 1944-1945, Taiwan's transportation infrastructure became a primary target. The Taipei area suffered numerous air raids aimed at disrupting Japan's logistical capabilities, though the station building itself survived the war largely intact. After Japan's surrender in August 1945, the station witnessed the transition of power as Republic of China forces arrived to assume control of Taiwan.

The third-generation station continued to serve as Taipei's central railway terminal throughout the postwar decades. By the 1980s, the aging building could no longer accommodate the city's explosive growth. It was officially closed on February 24, 1986, after completing its final Lunar New Year holiday service, and demolition began on March 1, 1986. A temporary station operated until the current fourth-generation underground station opened on September 2, 1989.