Yeah I was thinking about living in Taoyuan. I’d have to take another slower train from the hsr station to get to work though. Can you use easy card for all of it including hsr tickets?
Edit: also why does everyone here seem to hate Taoyuan so much? I used to work there and other than how annoying the commute from Taipei was the actual area of Taoyuan didn’t seem that different from Linkou
Yes, but if you take the HSR more than 17 times return in a month, a monthly ticket will work out cheaper. (At least that’s what I calculated for Hsinchu - Taipei a few years back.)
Got it! So if I work everyday, I should just buy a monthly ticket.
High-Speed Rail Shinkansen derailed in Japan during the recent earthquake.
Somewhat comforting that tragedy can be avoided during an earthquake if suitable or extreme safety measures are implemented.
HSR outage at the start of the long weekend.
They provided buses or suggest to get on the local TRA trains.
Well that’s embarrassing.
(Copied from my Wack Things thread post)
No more HSR trains going North from Zuoying station for the rest of the day.
114,000 people affected.
We call this COVID Prevention Measures
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4494695
In this article you can watch the footage of the actual demolition.
I’ll soon be traveling from Taipei to Kaohsiung, and I need to take two large suitcases plus two carry-on bags.
Is this a manageable amount of luggage for one person to get on and off the HSR? I feel it might be too awkward or disruptive, but am not sure of what other options there are for getting the large bags to my hotel in Kaohsiung?
Any advice is appreciated 
As long as you can physically handle all that stuff, you should be able to stick it behind the seats at the end of the carriage. Just let people get on first.
Should be ok as most public spaces are large.
Use the elevators.
Give yourself plenty of time.
Maybe travel off peak hours.
Don’t know if there is a maximum amount of baggage.
This.
Can you move all that luggage around, say on an escalator, without trouble? If so, you’re good. If not, perhaps find a buddy to travel with you?
Guy
Your stuff will fit on the train however I don’t see how it will be possible for you to move two large suitcases plus two carry-on bags without either help or abandoning half while you move the other half. If you’re able to drag all four at the same time then it might be OK. Getting off in Kaohsiung is fine as it’s the last stop, you’ll just have a bit of a wait for the elevator on the platform.
adding to what was said before. You can use black-cat delivery service, you can send your suitcases directly to Kaohsiung, and travel more lightly with the HSR. it takes a day, you can do it from 7/11 stores. back in the day i used it and it was ~300 nt for a big suitcase. you should ask about current prices.
Thanks everyone, really appreciate these insights. I’m thinking these bags probably would be a bit too much for me to handle on my own (definitely on escalators) – will look into other options like black-cat. Cheers!
I found the price list online, you can see if your suitcases fit
for the suitcase size: you need to sum the height+lenght+width of the suitcase, has to be under 20 KG.
https://www.t-cat.com.tw/inquire/timesheet3.aspx
Good luck with your move. And welcome to Taiwan!
Guy
The bus lets you stick as many as you want.