On a weekend or a holiday, this is the one we'd take. Taiwan Railway (TRA, 台鐵) runs along the coast from Taipei to Yilan on the Yilan Line, the same line that carries on to Hualien. It costs more than the bus from Taipei, but when the freeway jams, the rails don't. The views of the Pacific and Guishan Island after Fulong are a bonus.
- From Taipei Main Station; many trains also stop at Songshan and Nangang
- To Yilan Station About 70 minutes on the fastest trains, 1.5 to 3 hours on local trains
- Fare NT$306 on a fast (Tze-Chiang class) train, NT$197 on a local train, Taipei to Yilan, one way
- Book railway.gov.tw or TRA's T-Express app, up to 28 days ahead
Which train to take
As a visitor, you only need to know two kinds of train on this line:
- Tze-Chiang class (自強號), reserved seats. This covers the Puyuma (普悠瑪), the Taroko (太魯閣) and the new EMU3000 trains, plus older Tze-Chiang sets. These are the fast ones. Most of them are heading for Hualien or Taitung, so they get busy on Friday evenings and holiday mornings.
- Local trains (區間車) and local express (區間快). No reservation, cheaper, and you can tap an EasyCard. Local express trains skip some stops and save half an hour or more.
One catch: not every fast train stops at Jiaoxi or Toucheng. Yilan and Luodong get the most stops, so check the timetable for your station.
Times and fares from Taipei
One-way adult fares from Taipei Main Station, with journey times from TRA's timetable for a weekday in November 2026.
| Taipei to | Fastest train | Tze-Chiang fare | Local train fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toucheng (頭城) | About 62 min | NT$262 | NT$169 |
| Jiaoxi (礁溪) | About 66 min | NT$281 | NT$181 |
| Yilan (宜蘭) | About 68 min | NT$306 | NT$197 |
| Luodong (羅東) | About 76 min | NT$332 | NT$214 |
| Su'ao New (蘇澳新) | About 99 min | NT$360 | NT$232 |
Those are the quickest runs. A typical fast train takes 70 to 90 minutes. The quickest local express trains take about 1.5 hours to Jiaoxi and Yilan, and ordinary local trains up to around 3 hours. Older Tze-Chiang sets can be a few dollars cheaper. These fares have applied since June 23, 2025, when TRA raised fares for the first time in 30 years.
Stations in Yilan
- Toucheng Station (頭城車站): for Toucheng Old Street and Wushi Harbor, the base for Guishan Island boats and the Lanyang Museum. Wai'ao Station, for the surf beach, is the next stop north.
- Jiaoxi Station (礁溪車站): in the middle of the hot spring town. The Green 11 tourist shuttle to the waterfalls starts outside.
- Yilan Station (宜蘭車站): the county seat, walking distance to the old town and the Dongmen night market.
- Luodong Station (羅東車站): for Luodong night market, and the Green 21 shuttle to the Dongshan River and the Traditional Arts Center.
- Su'ao New Station (蘇澳新車站): where the fast trains stop for Su'ao and Nanfang'ao. The old Su'ao Station, one stop further, is served by local trains only.
Once you're in Yilan, the local trains are the easy way to hop between towns. It's NT$22 for Jiaoxi to Yilan or Yilan to Luodong (about 10 minutes), and NT$37 for Jiaoxi to Luodong.
How to book
Reserved seats go on sale 28 days ahead, as they have since August 2020. Book on a Friday and you can reach two days further. Holiday trains get their own announced sale dates, and for those it pays to be quick.
- Online: the TRA website or TRA's T-Express app (台鐵e訂通).
- At a station: at the ticket counters or machines.
The Puyuma and Taroko trains sell no standing tickets. On other Tze-Chiang trains, standing tickets (無座) are sometimes sold once seats run out. If the fast trains are full, don't worry: a local express is the fallback, and you never need a booking for it.
EasyCard and tapping in
For a fast train, buy a ticket. You can tap an EasyCard or iPASS through the gates for local trains, all the way from Taipei. On the ordinary Tze-Chiang trains a card gets you on, but without a seat: since June 23, 2025 only the first 50 km is charged at the local-train fare, and the rest at the Tze-Chiang fare. Taipei to Yilan is well past 50 km, so buy a ticket and get a seat for about the same money. The Puyuma, Taroko and 3000-series trains don't take cards at all: ride one without a ticket and you pay a 50% surcharge.
Fulong and the Pingxi Line
Not in a hurry? The line from Taipei passes Fulong Station (福隆車站) and its beach on the way to Yilan, so you can break the trip there. The Pingxi branch line, for Shifen and the sky lanterns, starts from Ruifang, also on the way. See the northeast coast.
Typhoons: TRA cancels or cuts trains on the east coast lines in typhoons. From July to October, check TRA's notices before you travel.
Coming from Taoyuan Airport? Inside Taipei explains getting from the airport into Taipei, and its guide to Taipei Main Station gets you to the Taiwan Railway platforms. Heading south afterwards? Inside Hualien covers the train on to Hualien.
→ All the ways to get around · Buses from the stations · A day trip from Taipei
Sources: Taiwan Railway, timetable and fare search (Taipei to each station, November 11, 2026); Taiwan Railway, standing tickets and ticketless travel; Taiwan News on the 28-day booking window; PTS on the 2025 fares and the 50 km card limit. UDN on the 50 km e-ticket rule for Tze-Chiang trains. Checked November 2026.