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Rail travel in Taiwan

Photo: jason199567, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Taiwan's rail network offers a seamless, efficient and reasonably affordable way to explore the island's diverse cityscapes and landscapes. The rail network forms a full loop around the island, although with more lines and higher frequencies on the more densely populated 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 the Taiwan Railway Administration (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.

UnderstandTaiwan's first railway line was laid between Taipei and Keelung in 1891 during the Qing Dynasty, primarily to facilitate smoother trade between the two cities.
Taiwan HSRThe 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 route on the West Coast from Taipei to Zuoying (Kaohsiung) in 90 min.
Taiwan RailwayMainline trains are run by the separate Taiwan Railway (TR, 台鐵, also known as the TRC or formerly TRA), whose services are generally efficient and reliable.
Urban railThe Taipei Metro (also known as the MRT) opened in 1996, with the first line consisting of a small portion of the Wenhu Line (Brown Line). As of 2026, the network consists of 6 lines, 137 km of track, and 117 stations.
See also

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