Most visitors reach Hualien by Taiwan Railway (TRA, 台鐵), and it is the way we'd send a first-timer. There is no high speed rail on the east coast, but the fastest trains from Taipei take about two hours. The catch is tickets: on weekends and holidays the good trains sell out, so book early.
- Station Hualien Station (花蓮車站), No. 100, Guolian 1st Road
- From Taipei About 2 hours on the fastest trains, longer on others
- Fare NT$583 on Tze-Chiang class trains (Taroko, Puyuma, EMU3000), from Taipei, one way
- On sale 28 days ahead, at midnight
- Book railway.gov.tw, the T-Express app, station counters, convenience stores
Which train to take
Trains on the Taipei to Hualien run come in a few classes. For a visitor, the choice is simple: take a Tze-Chiang (自強號) class train with a reserved seat. That covers the three fast trains you will see on the timetable:
- EMU3000. The new blue-and-white intercity train. Since the July 2026 timetable change it is the main intercity train on the line, reserved seats only.
- Taroko Express (太魯閣號) and Puyuma Express (普悠瑪號). The tilting trains that brought Taipei to Hualien down to about two hours. No standing tickets are sold on them.
Slower options exist. Chu-Kuang (莒光號) trains are cheaper, but there are fewer of them now (cut from 11 a day to 7 in July 2026 as the old fleet retires). Local trains go all the way but stop everywhere, and only make sense if everything else is sold out.
| Class, Taipei to Hualien | One-way adult fare |
|---|---|
| Tze-Chiang (incl. Taroko, Puyuma, EMU3000) | NT$583 |
| Chu-Kuang | NT$450 |
| Local train | NT$375 |
These fares have applied since June 23, 2025, when TRA raised fares for the first time since 1995. In April 2026 the Cabinet said there would be no further changes for now.
How to book
Tickets go on sale at 00:00, 28 days ahead, counting the day you travel (on Fridays the window opens two days further out). Holiday periods, such as Lunar New Year, get their own announced sale dates.
- Online: the TRA website or TRA's T-Express app (台鐵e訂通). Online booking closes an hour before departure.
- Convenience stores: 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK Mart can book and print tickets at the kiosk; you pay at the counter within 10 minutes.
- At a station: counters start advance sales at 09:00 on the opening day, from the same pool of seats as online.
Good to know: collect what you book. Since April 2025, six uncollected bookings in a month gets an account a one-month booking ban.
Why tickets sell out
The east coast has one main rail line, and weekend and holiday trains fill fast, especially Friday afternoon out of Taipei and Sunday afternoon back. If your train is sold out, try an earlier or later departure, check again a few days before (seats do come back), or split the trip. At peak holidays TRA also adds east line "real-name" trains that go on sale first to people registered in Hualien and Taitung, so expect holiday trains to be tight.
A cheaper fallback that UDN reported in July 2026: a combined bus and rail ticket from Taipei, by bus to Luodong or Yilan and on by local train, for NT$258 to NT$284. It takes about three hours, is valid only on the day, and is cash only.
EasyCard, iPASS and tapping in
You can tap an EasyCard or iPASS through the gates, but for this trip it only works on local trains. Since June 2025, a stored-value card can be used on reserved-seat trains only for trips up to 50 km, and Taipei to Hualien is much longer than that. On an EMU3000, tapping in without a ticket counts as traveling without one, with a 50% surcharge. Buy a ticket.
Trains from elsewhere
- From Kaohsiung or Tainan: the South-Link line runs round the south of the island through Taitung. It is much quicker than going round the north. Check the TRA timetable for times. If you are coming from Tainan, Inside Tainan's guide to getting to and from Tainan covers that end of the trip.
- From Taoyuan Airport: get into Taipei first. Inside Taipei explains the airport to the city; then take the train from Taipei Main Station or Songshan.
Arriving at Hualien Station
Hualien Station has lockers, luggage storage, elevators and free i-Taiwan Wi-Fi. The county lists a visitor center at the front of the station: out of the east exit, turn right, about 20 m. The Hualien Bus Station, where the tourist shuttle to Taroko starts, is next to it.
For Taroko, some travelers get off one stop early at Xincheng Station (新城車站), the station closest to the park. Puyuma and Tze-Chiang trains stop there, and the Taroko-bound bus stops outside.
Typhoons: in a typhoon, TRA cancels trains, sometimes every express on the east line (it did on October 28, 2026). From July to October, keep an eye on the forecast and on TRA's notices before you travel.
→ Every way to get to Hualien · Getting around once you're here
Sources: Taiwan Railway, Taroko Express; Taiwan Railway, standing tickets; Taiwan Railway, Hualien Station; Taiwan Railway, booking rules; CNA on the 2025 fares; Taipei Times on the 2025 fares; Taipei Times, April 2026; CNA on the July 2026 timetable; PTS on stored-value cards; UDN on the bus and rail ticket. Checked October 2026.