Since the fastest and most punctual means of transportation from northern Taiwan to Taitung and Hualien is by train, it has become the mainstream choice for travel.
On holiday weekends or peak tourist seasons, train tickets are especially hard to get. Please plan ahead and purchase your train tickets at least 14 days in advance.

How to Book Your Train Ticket

• Two weeks before the departure date, the system will open for ticket sales (for example: assuming that the departure date is July 30, bookings for the same day will be accepted from midnight on July 16).
• If traveling during off-peak hours on weekdays, it is best to purchase your ticket at least one week in advance by logging into the Taiwan Railways online booking system or go to the Taiwan Railways counter to buy tickets at Taipei Main Station. When utilizing the online purchase method, remember to enter your ID card/passport number, the name of the station, the number of the train, the number of people, and any other information.  You will then be able pay at most convenience stores.

How to Snap up Train Tickets

If you plan to travel on long weekends or holidays, please be prepared to purchase tickets in advance. (*Train tickets are only open for sale 14 days in advance.)

• Before the system opens up for ticket sales, first use the Taiwan Railways train schedule query web-page, enter the departure station, arrival station, departure date and time, etc and make notes of the train number, and any backup options if needed.
• At 11:30 P.M. on the day before the booking is accepted, log in to the Taiwan Railways online booking system, and enter the ticket purchase information first. Just as the time reaches midnight, hit the confirm button immediately. The success rate of ticket booking using this method is around 80%!

You need to pay attention to the travel time when selecting which train to take. Most passengers prefer not to spend too much time on transit. The Tze-Chiang Limited Express trains (Taroko and Puyuma) are the fastest train routes on the North Link Line. For example, Taroko is only 3.5 hours from Taipei to Taitung. But if you take Chu-Kuang Express, the price is relatively cheaper, but the travel time from Taipei to Taitung is about 6 hours.

• The main areas of the train passing through Taiwan Provincial Highway No. 9 (Mountain Line) include Chishang, Guanshan, Luye, etc. However, please note that some trains do not stop at every stop, most of the trains use Taitung as the terminal, but some trains also use the Taitung South-Link (Sea Line) Stations as the terminal, such as Zhiben and Dawu. Passengers passing through Taimali and Jinlun and heading to the South Link area should pay particular attention to the train’s number arriving at these stations.
• There is no direct train to Taiwan Provincial Highway No. 11 of Taitung’s East Coast (Changbin Township, Chenggong Township, Donghe Township).

• Take the Eastern Mainline Line from Taipei to the north of the east coast (such as Changbin Township). The quickest way is to get off at Hualien Yuli, and then transfer by bus or rent a car to reach Changbin Ningpu area along Taiwan Provincial Highway No. 26.
• To reach the sea-line areas closer to Taitung City in the south (such as Dulan, Donghe, Duli), you can take a train to Taitung, and then transfer by bus or rent a car.
• Since Chenggong Township is located in the middle of Taitung County, the time required for the above two options of transportation is similar, so you can choose whichever route best suits you.

Take the South-Link Line train to Taitung Railway Station. You can then rent a car from Taitung Train Station to drive along Provincial Highway #11 to get to the East Coast area of Taitung. You can also take the Dingdong Bus from Taitung Railway Station to the East Coast area.