Can someone please tell me where the stops are, OMG. :fume: I live in Taichung county. What is the pet policy.
Half price tickets are only for the first 10 days according to the China Post.
As for standing tickets, I doubt that will be a problem except around Chinese New Year’s and Moon Festival.
Bus fare is around $710 each way and by plane it’s around $1800-2000, so looks about right to me.[/quote]
if i remember right, back in 1979 the airfare to Kaohsiung was about 710 each way 
and the cheapest train to kaohsiung (which left at like 1030pm and arrived at 530am the next morning) was 110nt/person one way. And the cheapest wild chicken bus (took nearly ten hours and had two drivers rotating and was NOT the deluxe buses of today) was also 110nt/person one way.
My how things have changed since then !!!
Taiwan now has the very latest in Trains and planes and buses !! NO boats tho !! Be great if they had one of those luxury cruise ships going from Keelung by way of Hualien to Taitung to Kaohsiung or something !!
EDIT: by comparison, todays prices are a SUPER STEAL and in much better equipment too
Yes, but if people predict that a train won’t be that crowded, they can just buy the cheaper standing tickets and then sit in an open seat. Trust me, cheap people think this way, and if they don’t get a seat, they’re not always happy. It makes the ride uncomfortable for those who actually paid for their seats.
Even in China, people aren’t allowed to stand in cars that have reserved seating. They have certain hard class cars where the seating is limited, unreserved and first come first serve. Only in those cars are people allowed to stand. That’s a much smarter idea, imo.
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Well, it should be that way but, … this is Taiwan and as far as I know even with the TRA you can buy a cheap, non-reservation ticket , jump on an express train and if you’re lucky and get a seat, you sit down … else you just stand in the aile, front or back of the car … and hindre people that bought an expensive ticket …
I cant imagine if a high speed train derail and there are people standing… I thought for safety reasons they wont let you stand in a high speed train…
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I cant imagine if a high speed train derail and there are people standing… I thought for safety reasons they wont let you stand in a high speed train…[/quote]
They don’t have experience with high speed … until recentely the highest speed in Taiwan’s rail system was about 60 Km/h
I cant imagine if a high speed train derail and there are people standing… I thought for safety reasons they wont let you stand in a high speed train…[/quote]
They don’t have experience with high speed … until recentely the highest speed in Taiwan’s rail system was about 60 Km/h[/quote]
actually the TZE CHIANG train often hits 110 KPH on its runs. Its scary when its using the same tracks really designed with 60KPH in mind tho.
the HSR. I dont think it matters if you are standing or not if it derails at 300KPH , except that it may be easier to kiss your ass goodbye if you are sitting !!!
[quote=“taipeitimes”]Unlike the Taiwan Railway Administration’s policy of selling standing-room tickets when there are no more seats available on its trains, THSRC will only sell tickets for seats.
[/quote]
taipeitimes.com/News/front/a … 2003343150
it appears that there will be no standees …
It simply does not make ANY sense having standing tickets. With the first emergency stop to happen and people getting smashed against whatever, there will be lawsuits and they will abandon the idea for sure.
but again, it seems that in Taiwan you FIRST need a disaster to overrule bad decisions.
I already see a doom image before me taking the HSR.
Me sitting on a seat on the HSR with a 90kg mom aside me standing in the corridor and her but only 20 cm away from my head …while farthing. HSR ? we need a new abbreviation…
dang wish i was there 
i would love to try out the HSR. and for half price too.
do tell us what its like all you that have been on it. were u scared?
I am really happy to hear that they do not sell standing tickets. My co-worker must have given me the wrong information or maybe what she meant was it is okay to stand around if you like or walk about.
Overall I’d say the comfort level is pretty good. The seats aren’t as big or soft as the highway bus, but they do recline and the arm rests can go up. If you have a small tush, more power to ya. You also have a tray for your snacks, beverage, laptop, whatever. One thing I recall was being able to read without feeling carsick. I can never do that on the bus. The leg room is decent and there is a big overhanging rack for storing your belongings. In the economy car there are 5 seats per row – three on the right side of the aisle (A,B,C) and two on the left (D,E). The seat rows can swing around to face either direction. Just pray you aren’t assigned the “B” seat because then I believe you are stuck in the middle. Also, if you didn’t plan ahead or were in a rush, they do have drinks in vending machines so you can get a fix of Mr. Brown or Asparagus Juice.
I guess the only thing missing is the karaoke or on rail entertainment system
Wurih, just south of Taichung’s normal train station would be the one for you. And coming from Dajia, well, it’d be a bitch to get to. Probably take longer than a normal train.
HALLELUJAH!!! 
ok stupid question number 2…
I get that the HiSR goes from Panchiao (Banqiao) to Kaohsiung (Tsoying Station)…where in Kaohsiung is the HiSR station? Second part…where is Banqiao in relation to Taipei? I’ve never been to Taipei and now seems to be the perfect oppurtunity.
Oh, and in case you hadn’t noticed, my thought for a new acronym could be HiSR instead of HSR
Banqiao is a city to the west of Taipei city in Taipei County. It’s pretty much a suburb of Taipei. It’s easily reachable by MRT (is the MRT station near the railway station? It’s been many moons since I’ve been to Banchiao.) and is about 250 dollars in a taxi from the centre of town.
250 for a cab ride from the HiSR station? thats totally reasonable!
i’m sure the MRT would be cheaper however…can anyone provide info on the MRT station, and its proximity to the HiSR station?
Yup, the HSR, TRA and MRT stations are all interconnected. I prefer Banqiao station to Taipei Main - easier to park and not so busy. Everything you need in one place.
I lived opposite it while they were building it, 5-6 years ago. God, the noise!
Whew! That’s good news, thanks Xtrain. It looks like we were getting all excited about nothing.
Who was it that got us started on all this talk of standing anyway? Oh yes, I seem to recall…
Yes, each car has 96 seats and 345 standing places … business class has 45 seats and only 120 standing places … :roflmao:[/quote]
These 2 troublemakers again. It figures.