Xindian River

Overview

The Xindian River is one of the three major tributaries into the Tamsui River. Its main tributary is the Beishi River which originates in Shuangxi District, New Taipei City at an elevation of 700 meters (2,300 ft). The Feitsui Dam spans the Beishi southeast of Taipei. It flows west past Xindian before merging with the Nanshi River; it is at this point that it becomes "Xindian River". It then turns north and merges with the Jingmei River, before finally merging with the Dahan River and feeding into the Tamsui River.

The river is one of the main sources for drinking water in Taipei City. According to the Taipei City Running Water Center, over 4 million Taipei residents obtain 97% of their drinking water from the river. The first bridge over the river was constructed in 1937 and at 200 meters (660 ft) long connected the areas of Zhonghe and Xindian. On 28 May 1948, a fire broke out on a train crossing the Sindian River Bridge. The fire killed 21 passengers, with an additional 43 presumed dead, and is the deadliest train accident in Taiwanese history. Today, there are 22 bridges that span the river.