Putting Bikes on Trains in Taiwan: How To Get Around By Rail

Thanks for that, Mike. Brought mine up from Kaohsiung this evening with no problems whatsoever. If I remembered to pack all the right spanners, I’ll get it all back in one piece for tomorrow evening’s ride. :sunglasses:

Re: Bikes on HSR. Here’s the HSR Rule
thsrc.com.tw/tc/travel/travel_note_thing.asp
and a translation

All HSR trains allow bikes on board, as long as the bike is bagged and not longer than 150 cm, and the total length + height + width should not be over 220 cm. The weight of the bike should not be heavier than 40 kg. The bagged bicycles should be stowed in the forward or aft luggage compartment.

With F and R wheels and seat removed, most full size bikes would not meet that spec, so it’s not that the HSR permits bagged full-size bikes, it simply that the posters got away with it.

Erm, really…?

My bag is 115 x 75 x 25, so I didn’t ‘get away with it’ at all. No idea on the weight, but where on earth would anyone check that anyway?

And, for the record, I’m almost 6’5" and ride a 60cm road bike.

Ah, maunaloa is talking about motorbikes again, I see. I definitely would not want to weigh a bagged Yamaha FJ1000

Hi guys. I’ve read through the pages but a little confused. I was thinking(hoping) to take my bike up to Taichung this weekend. I’ve heard there are some good paths throughout the city and really, I 'm just looking for a day of new routes/paths. Am I able to bring my bike up on the HSR without a box or bag? I’ll be coming up from Kaohsiung. If the answer is no, can any recommend a decent shop that is central where I could rent a good bike and set off for the day. Thanks in advance.

On the HSR you’ll need a bag or a box.

Why don’t you just ship your bike by baggage train on the regular trains one day in advance. Or take one of the designated local trains on which you can bring your unbagged bike. Shipping on the regular trains is inexpensive, convenient, and safe.

Thanks guys. I decided to stick around the south this weekend and do a cycle round here. Will most likely get up to Taichung for a cycle in July and will use the local trains to get my bike up there. BTW…are there any decent rental shops around? Thanks.

Thanks very much to the OP for all the hard work. I apologize for the question, but I’m a bit confused. Is there any way to take a bike on a train from stations in the Southwest (Kaohsiung, PingDong, Chaozhou, or others) to stations in the TaiDong area?
Do any of you bike/train travelers have concerns about your bikes? I’ve taken a very nice road bike on the Kaohsiung MRT, straddling the bike while holding onto a pole, but I’m not keen about leaning a nice bike against a wall in a baggage car.

I feel I should add a small note regarding what I observed on the train recently, should anyone find the information useful. I had thought of bringing my bicycle from Tainan to Taipei during a recent house-move, but elected not to, after reading this forum and other sources of information, because I was concerned at the idea I might be located in one part of the train and my bike in another, and hence unable to keep an eye on it. In the end, the bike went in the back of a truck along with everything else and got shipped ahead.

However, I was on the (ordinary, non-HSR train) from Tainan to Taipei and thought I’d check out Carriage 12, where the bicycles get stored. It takes up half a carriage, but the storage area is locked, and you only get in if you knock for someone in there to let you in. I found this out when I found myself facing a locked door, and a young guy sitting there explained to me how it worked. If I’d known, I might have taken my bike up on the train after all. Maybe someone mentioned this already and I missed it, but in case it wasn’t mentioned, now you know. Your bike is, apparently, very safe.

Do allow me to add as I have just completed my ride (forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … 3#p1598471). The following is what I did and observed:

See images here: plus.google.com/photos/10279700 … qXTsdy-1wE
1/ Taichung to Hualien on the 5:56am Express. Ticket at 815NT, no additional for bagged bike, which went into the Bicycle Placement Area. This area can be opened from both sides at a touch of a button; this area is just another car ahead of car #12 that I was given a seat in;
2/ There was another bagged bike in this area as well. Within an hour the whole car #12 was already full with passengers with some standing and some going into this area to sit on the floor. As the train approach Taipei, the owner of the other bike went into this area and talked aloud to himself that he won’t be able to haul his bagged bike through the crowd in car #12;
3/ when I arrived at Hualien and went to recover my bike, the other bike was not there - I guess somehow he managed to get out this area without having to pass through car #12;
4/ upon leaving the platform I met 4 Chinese cyclists who chatted up with me. They must have arrived earlier from the south and they shared with that they paid 50% more to have their bike transported whole without being bagged;
5/ the same thing happened when I traveled from Taidong to Kaoshiung, no additional for the bagged bike but there was no special Bicycle Placement Area. I placed the bagged bike in the space behind the last seat row of the train;
6/ on the HSR from Zuoying to Taipei, I paid 14XXNT (200NT less for after 8pm travel) and no additional for the bagged bike. This time I was instructed to place the bagged bike in the luggage area which is about 20cm shorter for my bagged Surley LHT;
7/ on a Taipei Metro train, I saw a young man with his whole bike, not a folding but a 26incher in the train, not bagged at all;

OP: You can rent a bike at the Giant shop on Nanjing E. zh-tw.facebook.com/giant.taipei.Nanjing.

I’ve used the next-day train service for 20 years and never had any problem with it. Just this weekend I had my bike on the train by 1pm in Chishang (Taidong County) and was able to pick my bike up the same day at Wanhua station in Taipei. I can’t believe anyone would not use this great and simple service.

You definitely can take a full size bike properly bagged on the HSR. I’ve done it many times and seen many Taiwanese cyclists do it.

The rules for Taiwan Rails are very complicated and you need to know Chinese to use them. You can take a bagged bike on all local trains. You can take an unbagged bike on a few designated local trains but you are supposed to let them know at least an hour (I think) in advance. You can take a bagged bike on some express trains. There are few slower Juguang that have an extra compartment. The new Puyumas can hold four bagged bikes on a first come first serve basis.

You can take an unbagged bike on the Taipei MRT on weekends and holidays (NT$80 fee).

The best service is the next-day one. Convenient, inexpensive, safe, and hassle free.

[quote=“Freedom”]Do allow me to add as I have just completed my ride (forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … 3#p1598471). The following is what I did and observed:

See images here: plus.google.com/photos/10279700 … qXTsdy-1wE
1/ Taichung to Hualian on the 5:56am Express. Ticket at 815NT, no additional for bagged bike, which went into the Bicycle Placement Area. This area can be opened from both sides at a touch of a button; this area is just another car ahead of car #12 that I was given a seat in;
2/ There was another bagged bike in this area as well. Within an hour the whole car #12 was already full with passengers with some standing and some going into this area to sit on the floor. As the train approach Taipei, the owner of the other bike went into this area and talked aloud to himself that he won’t be able to haul his bagged bike through the crowd in car #12;
3/ when I arrived at Hualian and went to recover my bike, the other bike was not there - I guess somehow he managed to get out this area without having to pass through car #12;
4/ upon leaving the platform I met 4 Chinese cyclists who chatted up with me. They must have arrived earlier from the south and they shared with that they paid 50% more to have their bike transported whole without being bagged;
5/ the same thing happened when I traveled from Taidong to Kaoshiung (Gaoxiong), no additional for the bagged bike but there was no special Bicycle Placement Area. I placed the bagged bike in the space behind the last seat row of the train;
6/ on the HSR from Zuoying to Taipei, I paid 14XXNT (200NT less for after 8pm travel) and no additional for the bagged bike. This time I was instructed to place the bagged bike in the luggage area which is about 20cm shorter for my bagged Surley LHT;
7/ on a Taipei Metro train, I saw a young man with his whole bike, not a folding but a 26incher in the train, not bagged at all;[/quote]

I’m curious if any of you ship your carbon bikes on the baggage train. I ship my alloy bike quite a bit and it’s gotten a few minor dings and scratches from shipping over the last couple years, something I wouldn’t be entirely cool with if I had a carbon bike.

Anyone care to share their experiences?

What you comment is what backs me off from taking the train with my c.f. bike. I promise I will read (again) this thread, but… is there any way of taking the bike with you on the train?

Put mine in a bag and took it for free on the TC express from Hsinchu - Changhua, and then Hualien back to Hsinchu last weekend. No problem, the timetable indicates if “bike bag available”. Tell the clerk you will be taking your bike, and they will give you a seat in car 12, half of which is dedicated to bike storage. Like you, I was confused by conflicting information, but it was straight-forward.
I think the same trains allow you to take the bike on unbagged, for a fee, but haven’t tried that yet.

Has anyone taken the new Puyuma-looking local train that has cars with space for bikes? How is it?

Just imagine…. Riding my bike down south of Yilan I am stopping near Suao at one of temples by the road side to find some comfortable place to have a break, and while I am sitting at the table in the temple´s hall drinking the temple´s tea and emptying my lunch box, the temple´s caretaker approaches me ready to have a chat. And what is he has to tell me? He says it is not quite safe for bikers to continue riding the 2nd from Suao down to Taroko, and he suggests to take a train. And now the funny moment – he says also that it is quite possible that i will be forced then to unload my bike and to bag it to be allowed to get it on the train. And he wants to help me; he says it might be enough if I’d stopped the bike into plastic trash bags, and he gives me … two big black plastic bags! The temple caretaker! – He does exactly what you, experienced bikers, have discussed several times here, at this forum. And he does not read it!

And yes, I have transported myself together with my bike on a train between Suao and Xincheng (Taroko). And I was not the only biker on this train, at the same platform there were other bikers wanting for the same train, and from the opposite direction came also other ones, arriving by a train. So it is quite normal for the bikers to cover the distance Suao - Xincheng or Xincheng – Suao this way.

I have noticed two railway lines that stop at these stations and accept bikes:

North Link Line (white with a red strip, a regular passenger train), only end carriages have place for bikes, but very narrow doors and high doorsteps. This is probably this line that requires bagged, dismantled bikes.
Name Unknown (blue), a typical commuter train - broad, automatic sliding doors, no doorsteps, no designated bike carriages, no designated places for bikes inside carriages. And this the line that everyone transports one´s bike on– you can place it wherever you want with the load on, I lined mine against the sits, and the conductor did not bother….

The ticket office staff in Suao certainly knows the difference and, not being ask for it, sells you the ticket for this blue line trains, and informs you about the nearest departure time. It is 96 passenger and 48 bicycle

The Suao station has elevators suitable for bikes from the ticket hall to platforms.

So it turns out you can take a bagged bike on the HSR. Has anyone taken a boxed bike on the HSR? The combined dimensions of a bike box seem to be about 225-235cm and the max is 220cm. I’m trying to setup a flight in Feb (around CNY) and might have to take the HSR myself from KHH because of flight timing. Or is it possible to ship it directly to the airport and quickly pick it up?

One of my buddies takes his bike on the HSR regularly. I think if it fits in the large luggage pin at the front of the cabin, you’re good to go. When the cabin is empty, he puts it right next to him in one of those three seaters. If the cabin is full and the luggage bin is full, he puts it in the walkway between two cars and doesn’t get fined or no one notices. Worth a try?

boxed or bagged?