After landing at Taoyuan Int’l, I need to connect to an East coast train - the connection is tight.
So which would be faster, taxi from airport to:
a) Taipei Main Station
b) Songshan Station
Leaving airport on a week-day evening, about 7pm.
Banquiao, probably.
I’d take the HSR connection -taxi or shuttle to Taoyuan High Speed Rail station-, then to Taipei Main Station. No traffic to be concerned of, easy passage to the TRA system -trains right across the hall from HSR station, all underground.
Ah.
Oh.
That’s interesting, Icon.
I’d be Ok once on the HSR, but I’ve never gone from Airport to Taoyuan HSR before.
How often do the shuttles run?
At that time of night, can I get on the very next HSR train, in one of those non-reserved carriages?
Here: taoyuan-airport.com/english/ … ?cnid=1226
I think it shouldn’t be a problem, unless it is a holiday. Most trains do not run to full capacity unless it is a holiday.
Around 7 in the evening, every ten minutes or so. (Oops. Icon beat me to it.) The shuttles do not carry more passengers than there are seats, though. So if there’s a long line you may wish to use a taxi instead.
Yes.
A potential problem given your time constraints is that the high-speed trains stop in Taoyuan only about every half hour. Still, I think that using the high-speed rail to Banqiao or Taipei might be your best best.
thanks both, I’m sold on the idea.
I’ve checked the HSR timetables and there are 2 trains I could catch from Taoyuan. If I miss the 1st train, then train 2 gives me a 10 min switch at Taipei from HSR to TRA. I know which platform the TRA train goes from, I have my ticket, so that’s a piece of cake (if the HSR is on-time) :lick:.
Thsr will be on time.From airport to Thsr is about 300 NTD by cab and should be 15 mins if no traffic.
THSR was 7 mins late 
- very unusual. But I was on my 1st train, not my 2nd, so that was ok. Even had time to grab some food from Taipei Station top floor.
So thanks all, made my connection nice and smooth.
Deplaned (I like that verb) at 6.30, shuttle bus departed 6.50 (it went T2 then T1, and the T1’ers really had to squash on) and arrived at Taoyuan HSR at 7.05pm. That was 11mins before my 1st HSR, if it had been on-time.
Total time was about the same as a taxi direct to Taipei Station, but a lot cheaper, and (the BIG thing) no worrying about traffic delays, when all you can see ahead of you are red tail-lights bumper to bumper.