Rail travel in Taiwan Voyage Tips and guide

Taiwan's rail network offers a seamless, efficient and reasonably affordable way to explore the island's diverse cityscapes and landscapes. The island's rail network forms a full loop around the island, although with far more services alongside Taiwan's west coast.

The rail system can be split into two separate networks. The main one, which most travelers will use for long-distance travel, is the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), whisking you between Taipei and Kaohsiung in as fast as 95 minutes. The rest of the mainline network is run by Taiwan Railway (TRC/TRA), which provides a scenic, comprehensive loop around the entire island, including the rugged and breathtaking east coast. Additionally, the cities of Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung all have comprehensive MRT/metro systems covering large parts of their respective cities, in addition to local commuter services by TRC.

The train backbone is Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR, 高鐵 gāotiě), a high speed train based on Japanese Shinkansen technology that covers the 345 km (214 mi) route on the West Coast from Taipei to Zuoying (Kaohsiung) in 90 min. Other stops on the route are Banqiao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi and Tainan.

Unlike many HSR systems elsewhere, several THSR stations have been built a fair distance from the cities they serve – for example, a taxi from downtown Tainan costs up to NT$400 (though there's a free shuttle bus), making THSR rarely value-for-money when compared to TRA for shorter distances (such as Kaohsiung to Tainan). Taipei, Banqiao, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung (Zuoying) stations are connected with the metro. Taichung Station is built next to a railway station, convenient to transfer to the city center. Hsinchu and Tainan stations are connected to the city center with branch railway lines, as is Zuoying station to downtown Kaohsiung. Other stations can only be reached by bus.

THSR uses 1,435 mm standard-gauge tracks, in contrast to the rest of Taiwan, which uses 1,067 mm narrow-gauge tracks. This means that THSR runs in isolation with almost zero interaction with the conventional TRA network. On one hand, delays on one network are extremely unlikely to cascade onto the other; on the other hand, it does mean more transfers, particularly if you're traveling outside the area where the THSR serves.

All train announcements are made in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka and English.

A one-way ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung costs NT$1,630 in economy or NT$2,140 in business class, but economy seats have plush seats and ample legroom, so there's little reason to pay extra, though business class passengers are offered a complimentary drink and snack. All signage and announcements are in English as well, making navigation a snap. Bookings are accepted online and via phone up to two weeks in advance at ☏ +886-2-6626-8000 (English spoken), with payment required only when you pick up the tickets. Credit cards are accepted.

Bookings can be easily made online, and you can pay online or pay and pick up your tickets at almost every FamilyMart and 7-Eleven. You can also avoid the queues for long-distance tickets at major stations by buying your tickets from the automated ticket machines. The English prompts on the automated machines are hard to spot, but they are present, usually in the top left corner of the screen. The stations and platforms are wheelchair-friendly, and all trains include a wheelchair-accessible car (wider doors, ample space, accessible bathroom).

Notice the difference between accessibility services and "senior or disabled tickets" - while THSR provides good accessibility service for senior or disabled passengers, the "senior or disabled tickets" with 50% off are special tickets for Taiwanese citizens only. A foreign senior or disabled person cannot buy the ticket. If you need accessibility services such as finding handicap-friendly seats, consult the staff by online chat, phone, or on-site station desks.

Early Bird tickets are sold from 28 days before the day, and the discount is up to 35% off.

A few other discounts exist:

• Senior Citizen Ticket: For those aged 65 and above (including those who are 65 or above on the day of travel) who hold a Republic of China National Identity Card or other identification document issued by the ROC government that can prove their identity.
• Child tickets: Children under 12 years old can purchase child tickets. Children under 6 years old can travel free of charge without a seat, but must be accompanied by a full-price ticket holder or an adult passenger. Each passenger can bring up to two children traveling free of charge. Children under 12 years old who are taller than 150 cm, or children under 6 years old who are taller than 115 cm, must present identification.
• Discount Ticket: Applicable to citizens holding a disability certificate and one of their guardians or necessary companions. (For holders of the new type of disability certificate, the "Necessary Companion Discount Measures" section on the back must include the words "Domestic Public Transportation" to qualify for a 50% discount on one companion.)

All high-speed trains consist of two seating classes: economy class and business class. While economy class is already clean and comfortable by international standards, paying extra for business class gets you a slightly wider seat, more leg room, as well as a complimentary non-alcoholic drink and snack.

All trains also provide non-reserved seats, in which holders can take any train to the specified destination with no assigned seating on the same day. Holders of non-reserved seats can only sit in non-reserved seats, usually in cars 9-12. All non-reserved seats are the same as economy class. Non-reserved seats are cheaper than regular seats, but not by a large margin. If you are unsure of your train or time, such a ticket can be very useful.

High-speed rail seats are automatically selected by the computer. If you have special seat requirements, you can make requests at the ticket windows of each station or sit in unreserved seats in designated carriages.

The Taiwan High Speed Rail issues a THSR Pass for use on the high speed rail trains. These cost NT$2,400 for a regular 3-day pass, or NT$3,200 for a flexible 3-day pass. While a regular 3-day pass must be used in 3 consecutive days, the 3 days in a flexible 3-day pass may be spread out over any 7-day period. The 5-day joint passes allow for unlimited rides on the high speed rail for 2 days within a 5 day period, and unlimited rides on TRA lines within the same 5-day period. These cost NT$2,800 for a standard pass, which does not allow you to ride on Tzu-Chiang trains, and NT$3,600 for an express pass, which allows you to ride on all TRA lines. The THSR passes may only be used by foreigners who are in Taiwan on tourist visas (or visa exemptions), and must be purchased from travel agents overseas before you arrive in Taiwan.

Mainline trains are run by the separate Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA, 台鐵), whose services are generally efficient and reliable. Reserving tickets well in advance is recommended when traveling with the train on weekends, especially for long-distance travel. Slower (but more frequent) commuter trains without reserved seating are also available. Train timetables and online booking (up to 2 weeks in advance) are available on the TRA website. Booking and payment can be made online. You can also pay for the tickets you reserved at your local train station or post office to actually receive them. You can also buy the tickets of TRA in convenience stores now (you can reserve first and take the tickets in convenience stores). The way to buy tickets is the same as THSR. Children under 115 cm (45 in) height go free, and taller kids shorter than 150 cm (59 in) and under 12 years of age get half-price tickets. If you get return tickets, there is a small discount depending on your travel distance. There are also vending machines at the larger stations.

The fastest train is Tzu-Chiang (limited express), and the slowest is Local. There is often little to choose between prices and destination times for adjacent train classes, but the gap can be quite large between the fastest and the slowest.

• Tze-Chiang (自強 zìqiáng): The fastest (and most expensive). Assigned seating. Standing-only tickets are also available on some trains. There are Taroko Express (太魯閣號 Tàilǔgé Hào) and Puyuma (普悠瑪號 Pǔyōumǎ Hào) running from Taipei to Hualien and Taitung, which only sell reserved tickets.
• Chu-Kuang (莒光 júguāng): Second fastest. Assigned seating. In western Taiwan, it is as slow as a local train; in eastern Taiwan, it is still a fast, convenient train.
• Local Express (區間快 qūjiān): Short to medium distance commuter train which skips some stations. No assigned seating.
• Local Train (區間 qūjiān) : Short to medium distance commuter train, stops at all stations. No assigned seating.

Only on Saturday morning/noon and Sunday afternoon, faster trains are packed, and it might make sense to buy a more expensive reserve-seat ticket, if you do not want to stand for 3 hr, depending on your destination. Otherwise, you can freely use the EasyCard for fast connections without worrying (except for THSR).

For travel to nearby cities, you can travel on local commuter trains. These arrive very frequently (about once every 10 to 15 minutes). In addition, "standing tickets" may be purchased on trains with assigned seating that have no available seats. Standing tickets are 80% the original ticket price and may be useful for last-minute travelers. However, you will be required to stand for the duration of your trip if there are no free seats.

Station announcements are made in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, and English.

A popular holdover from the Japanese colonial era is the railway bento tradition, known in Taiwan as the Taiwan Railway Bento (臺鐵便當 tái tiě biàn dàng). These are sold at most major TRA stations, and on board most long-distance TRA trains. Both meat and vegetarian options are available, with the pork chop bento being particularly famous and iconic. Some smaller towns that do not have TRA bento stalls at in their stations have privately-owned shops selling bentos near the railway station, and these often feature some local specialties. The towns of Fulong and Chishang are particularly famous for their local versions of the railway bento.

Similar to Japan and South Korea, Taiwan also offers several rail passes to foreign tourists for unlimited train travel within a stipulated period. The TR Pass can be used by foreigners for unlimited travel on TRA lines for a stipulated period of time. The TR Pass can be bought at railway stations in Taiwan. The TR pass also allows you to reserve seats for free on trains that have assigned seating. The TR pass is not valid on the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) as those trains are not operated by the TRA, such as metros.

The 4-person-group ticket must be used by four people simultaneously. Validity has to be for consecutive days. Reduced price applies to children (age 7-12), senior citizens (age 65+) and disabled people.

• TR Pass Student: The student version of the TR Pass is significantly cheaper than the general version, though unlike the general version, it is not valid for use on Tzu-Chiang limited express trains, and also cannot be used to ride in train cars with reserved seating. In order to qualify for this pass, you will need to show your passport and a valid International Student Identity Card (ISIC)

Ticket types and prices:

• 5-day ticket: NT$599
• 7-day ticket: NT$799
• 10-day ticket: NT$1,098

• Rail travel in China
• Rail travel in Japan
• Rail travel in South Korea
• THSR guide (zh)