Taiwan High Speed Rail and TRA tickets: fares, the 35% early-bird deal, apps, passes and station transfers

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Taiwan has two railways and they answer different questions. Taiwan High Speed Rail (台灣高鐵, THSR) runs down the west coast from Nangang (南港) and Taipei Main Station (台北車站) to Zuoying (左營) in Kaohsiung: Taipei to Taichung in 47 minutes, to Tainan in 1 hour 25 minutes, to Zuoying in 1 hour 34 minutes on the fastest trains. Taiwan Railway (台鐵, TRA) is the conventional network: slower and cheaper, it stops in the city centres, and it is the only train to Hualien and Taitung on the east coast.

Below: the fares checked on the THSRC and TRA sites in September 2026, the early-bird discount worth up to 35%, the booking channels that take a foreign passport number, the visitor-only THSR Pass, the EasyCard rules on TRA, and the transfers you need because the HSR stations in Taoyuan, Taichung and Tainan sit outside town. Prices are in New Taiwan dollars (NT$).

High speed rail or TRA: the numbers first

Fastest train on each route on a Sunday in September 2026; adult fares for a THSR standard reserved seat and a TRA Tze-chiang-class seat (Puyuma, Taroko and EMU3000 charge the same). The local train (區間車) fare is what an EasyCard is charged.

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高鐵路線圖：台北到台中最快 47 分、標準車廂對號座 NT$700；台中到台南 36 分、NT$650；台南到左營 12 分、NT$140；台北直達台南最快 1 小時 25 分、NT$1,350；台北直達左營最快 1 小時 34 分、NT$1,490。高鐵台中站走通廊到台鐵新烏日站再搭區間車 11 分、NT$22 到台中車站；高鐵台南站走通廊到台鐵沙崙站再搭沙崙線 23 分、NT$37 到台南車站；高鐵左營站與台鐵新左營站、高雄捷運 R16 同一棟。台鐵對照：台北到台中最快 1 小時 49 分、自強號等級 NT$500；台北到台南最快 3 小時 16 分、NT$891；台北到高雄最快 3 小時 46 分、NT$994。2026 年 9 月以高鐵與台鐵官網查證。 / THSR route map: Taipei to Taichung 47 minutes and NT$700 standard reserved; Taichung to Tainan 36 minutes NT$650; Tainan to Zuoying 12 minutes NT$140; Taipei to Tainan direct 1 h 25 min NT$1,350; Taipei to Zuoying direct 1 h 34 min NT$1,490. THSR Taichung connects by corridor to TRA Xinwuri, then 11 minutes and NT$22 by local train to Taichung Station; THSR Tainan connects to TRA Shalun, then 23 minutes and NT$37 to Tainan Station; THSR Zuoying shares its building with TRA Xinzuoying and Kaohsiung MRT R16. TRA comparison: Taipei to Taichung 1 h 49 min NT$500, to Tainan 3 h 16 min NT$891, to Kaohsiung 3 h 46 min NT$994. Checked on the THSRC and TRA sites in September 2026.

How to buy THSR tickets (高鐵)

Fares and seat types

Standard car reserved seats (標準車廂對號座) are the default: Taipei to Taichung NT$700, to Tainan NT$1,350, to Zuoying NT$1,490, to Taoyuan NT$160. Non-reserved seats (自由座) cost slightly less, NT$675, NT$1,305 and NT$1,445 on those routes, and are sold only on the day of travel. Business car (商務車廂) seats are wider and include a snack and drink: NT$1,250, NT$2,230 and NT$2,440 from Taipei. Children under 12 pay half; the senior half fare needs a Taiwanese ID, and there is no round-trip discount.

The early-bird discount: 28 to 5 days before you travel

Early Bird (早鳥) tickets go on sale 28 days before the travel date and stop 5 days before it. Each train has quotas at 35%, 20% and 10% off; when one sells out the next opens, then full fare. On Taipei to Zuoying at NT$1,490 the 35% tier brings the ticket under NT$1,000. Only one-way adult tickets in standard reserved seats qualify. They are name-registered: the last five digits of your passport number are printed on the ticket and staff may ask for that passport on board, so book with the passport you will carry. Changing the train after payment forfeits the discount; refunds must be requested at least 30 minutes before departure and carry a fee.

Where to book: the website, T Express, machines and convenience stores

Bookings open 29 days before departure (a Friday or Saturday start extends to the following Sunday) and close 1 hour before the train leaves, 24 hours a day; the ID field takes your passport number. Pay within 3 days of booking if the train is more than 3 days away, by the day before departure if it is closer, and at least 30 minutes before a same-day train; a change after payment costs NT$20 per ticket. The official site accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express (some issuers) and UnionPay.

• T Express app (T-EX): book, pay and hold the ticket as a QR code scanned at the gate. Cards: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Taiwan-issued American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay (THSRC warns that Visa via the wallets sometimes fails). The QR code is locked to the phone that collected it; refunds cost NT$20 per ticket and stop 30 minutes before departure.
• Ticket vending machines: all seat types up to 29 days ahead, English menus, cash, Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay; online bookings are collected here free with the reservation number.
• Convenience stores: kiosks at 7-ELEVEN (ibon), FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK sell and collect THSR tickets for NT$10 per ticket and take cash, the way to pay a booking without a card; finish the kiosk payment within 10 minutes and collect before departure, or the booking is lost.
• Station counters: the only place for senior or disabled concessions and for exchanging a THSR Pass; expect a queue on holiday weekends.

Non-reserved seats: buy on the day, board any train

A non-reserved ticket is valid on any train that day between the stations printed on it, in the non-reserved cars only, first come first served; when seats run out you stand. On the trains we checked for 20 September 2026 those are cars 10 to 12 on most trains and cars 8 to 12 at peak times. THSRC puts the discount at about 3% on Taipei to Zuoying, so it is a convenience, not a saving. Buy at a machine, a counter or in T Express on the day; an ordinary EasyCard does not open the HSR gates, only the EasyCard or iPASS co-branded credit cards with auto top-up can tap straight in.

THSR Pass and One-Way Ticket for foreign visitors

Three products are sold only to short-term foreign visitors (Taiwanese passport and ARC holders excluded), on pass.thsrc.com.tw and through travel agencies. The 3-Day Pass is NT$2,200 (child NT$1,100) for unlimited rides on three consecutive days; the Flexible 2-Day Pass is NT$2,500 (child NT$1,250) for any two days within seven; the One-Way Ticket is 15% off the adult fare, Taipei to Taichung NT$595, to Tainan NT$1,145, to Zuoying NT$1,265, and must be reserved online, not at a counter. All three cover standard reserved or non-reserved seats, never the business car. Exchange the voucher within 90 days of payment, online or at any THSR counter with your passport and entry permit; online you can hold up to 5 reservations, each made at least 1 hour before departure.

Do the arithmetic: Taipei to Zuoying and back is NT$2,980 at full fare, so a 3-Day Pass only pays if you ride most of the line within three days, and two early-bird tickets at 35% off beat it. Visitor promotions come and go, such as the 2025 Go 2 Taiwan buy-one-get-one One-Way Ticket for Taichung and points south sold through KKday and Klook; check the pass site before you buy.

How to buy TRA tickets (台鐵)

Reserved trains: book 28 days ahead with your passport number

TRA reserved trains are the Tze-chiang (自強) class, including the tilting Puyuma (普悠瑪) and Taroko (太魯閣) and the newer EMU3000, plus the slower Chu-kuang (莒光). Seats go on sale 28 days before travel at 00:00; on Fridays the window opens two extra days, to the Sunday four weeks ahead, which matters for weekend trains to Hualien that sell out in minutes. Book on the TRA site or the 台鐵e訂通 app with your passport number as the ID (the Taiwanese ID field rejects foreign formats), pay by 24:00 the next day, and collect the paper ticket free at any station window or machine, or for NT$8 per ticket at 7-ELEVEN, FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK, with the passport you booked with. Fares since 23 June 2025: Taipei to Taichung NT$500, to Tainan NT$891, to Kaohsiung NT$994, Taichung to Tainan NT$487; children half.

On the EMU3000 trains we checked, car 6 is the Teng Yun business cabin (騰雲座艙), sold only with a seat, and car 9 is a non-reserved car (自由座) at the same fare as a reserved seat; IC cards are not accepted anywhere on an EMU3000.

Local trains with an EasyCard

Local trains (區間車) and the local express (區間快) need no ticket: tap an EasyCard, iPASS or icash in and out. The card also works on Chu-kuang and older Tze-chiang trains without a seat, but not on Puyuma, Taroko, EMU3000, tourist trains or business cabins. Chu-kuang and any trip of 50 km or less is charged at the local fare; on a Tze-chiang train beyond 50 km the first 50 km is local and the rest at the Tze-chiang rate. Tap out within 3 hours up to 70 km, 8 hours up to 200 km and 12 hours beyond.

The HSR station is outside town: transfers at Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Zuoying

Only Nangang, Taipei and Banqiao (板橋) share a building with the TRA and the metro. Elsewhere allow 15 to 30 minutes and a small fare, and keep your HSR ticket: the free THSRC shuttle buses are for HSR passengers only and the driver checks.

• THSR Taoyuan (高鐵桃園站): Airport MRT station A18 is beside it, the fastest link between the airport and Taichung or the south. Shuttle buses 206 and 206A to Taoyuan TRA station (桃園車站) are free with an HSR ticket; 170, 5081 and 5081A go to Zhongli.
• THSR Taichung (高鐵台中站): exit 3 on floor 2 leads through a corridor to TRA Xinwuri Station (新烏日站); any local train reaches Taichung Station (台中車站) in 11 to 14 minutes for NT$22, EasyCard accepted. The Taichung MRT green line is at exit 2; the 159 city shuttle has charged a normal fare since 1 July 2022.
• THSR Tainan (高鐵台南站): the floor-2 corridor leads to TRA Shalun Station (沙崙站); the Shalun Line reaches Tainan Station (台南車站) in about 23 minutes for NT$37, EasyCard accepted. Buses H31 (市府線) and H62 (奇美醫院線) from platform 1 are free when you board or alight at the HSR station with a same-day HSR ticket; others pay NT$18 per section.
• THSR Zuoying (高鐵左營站): the floor-2 walkway leads to TRA Xinzuoying Station (新左營站) and Kaohsiung MRT red line station R16 左營／高鐵站 is in the same complex, so the centre is a direct metro ride; bus 9189, the Kenting Express, leaves from here.

Decision guide: THSR or TRA

• Between the big western cities with a same-day or next-day return: THSR, booked 28 days out for the 35% tier, or a non-reserved car on a weekday.
• Staying overnight and price matters more than an hour: TRA Puyuma or EMU3000 to Tainan (3 h 16 min, NT$891) costs about two thirds of the HSR fare and arrives in the old town rather than 10 km outside it.
• Hualien, Taitung, or the Pingxi and Jiufen side of Taipei: TRA, there is no alternative on rails.
• A public holiday weekend: book at 00:00 on day 29 (THSR) or day 28 (TRA); otherwise just walk up to a machine, there are trains every 10 to 20 minutes.

Taipei destination guide

Kaohsiung destination guide

Taipei Metro and EasyCard guide

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