The Taiwan Railway Administration (台灣鐵路管理局), commonly posted on signage as simply TRA is the main railway service in Taiwan, and provides convenient access to a large majority of locations all over Taiwan.
Be sure to arrive early for your scheduled train, as the layout of some stations is a bit awkward and the lack of clear signage sometimes makes it difficult to find the proper track.
Do not lose your ticket! Upon exiting the station, passengers are required to present their ticket. Passengers without a ticket must pay a fee equaling the maximum fare of the line to exit the station.
Concession tickets such as senior or child fares are only available to residents of Taiwan that can provide a Taiwanese ID card (身份證) or ARC for verification.
From Hsinchu to Ruifang, the Easycard can be used on all train classes, and is far more convenient than purchasing tickets. Be aware that reserved seating is not available when using the Easycard.
The large majority of visitors to Taipei will be using the train to visit destinations such as Keelung, Ruifang, Fulong, and Jiufen. These are northbound trains, and are accessible from Taipei Main Station, Songshan Station, and Nangang Station. Passengers visiting Keelung should board Keelung-bound trains, and visitors to any other location should board any train except Keelung-bound trains. Most visitors wishing to travel south along the west coast prefer to use the High Speed Rail (台灣高鐵).
Standard train service is generally referred to simply as "train", or 火車 huǒchē, while the High Speed Rail is referred to as 高鐵 gāotié.
| Recommendations for common destinations (leaving from Taipei Main Station): | |
|---|---|
| Keelung | Take a local train bound for Keelung. |
| Ruifang, Jiufen, Jinguashi | Take a Tze-Chiang (自強號) train to Ruifang Station (瑞芳). |
| Hualien and Taroko National Park | Take a Puyuma (普悠瑪) or Tze-Chiang (自強號) train to Hualien (city area) or Xincheng Taroko (closer to park). |
| Fulong Beach | Take a Chu-Kuang (莒光號) train to Fulong Station (福隆). |
| Jiaoxi Hot Springs, Yilan | Take a Tze-Chiang (自強號) train to Jiaoxi Station (礁溪)). |
| Toucheng, Yilan | Take a Tze-Chiang (自強號) train to Toucheng Station (頭城). |
| Wushigang Harbour and Surfing Beach | Take a Local Train (區間車) to Wai'ao (外澳), or for a much faster trip, take a Tze-Chiang (自強號) train to Toucheng Station (頭城), then either transfer to a local train backwards 2 stations to Wai'ao or just take a cab for less than 10 minutes. |
| Chungli (Jhongli/Zhongli, 中壢) | Take a Tze-Chiang (自強號) train to Chungli Station (中壢). |
| Hsinchu (新竹) | Take a Tze-Chiang (自強號) train to Hsinchu Station (新竹). |
| Raohe Night Market (饒河夜市) | Take any train or MRT to Songshan Station (松山). |
If you are confused by the train classes, boarding the Local Train (區間車 Qūjiānchē) is most convenient as it stops at every station along the line.
Please remember that the train system (along with the High Speed Rail) operates similar to the Japanese/British/Singaporean/etc. method of driving on the left side of the tracks.
For specific ticket information, please visit the Taiwan Railways website or, more simply, just use Google Maps directions function and choose public transit.