I’m taking the regular train from Taipei to Kaohsiung tomorrow just for no reason. It’s the mountain line, not the coast line, and I’m looking forward to passing through all the small towns at a slow pace.
I’m surprised there are trains that 1) only take 3:36 for NT$843 and 2) that some trains only cost NT$650.
So basically the HSR shaved a little more than an hour off the transit time, at more than double the price, and added more frequency. I’ve been going off the expectation that HSR is the only reasonable way to go and never even considered the TRA. Guess I’ll find out tomorrow if it’s actually a reasonable ride.
Everybody has taken that train, it’s pretty popular) If you just use an EasyCard, you can ride in the 12th carriage in “bicycle compartment” - nobody carries bicycles there on West Coast, it’s for students and people who didn’t get a ticket (those are usually sold out). Thing is, if now you go straight to Kaohsiung, even by using Easycard they detect that you travelled too fast and charge you a lot. But if you get in and get off frequently along the way, using an EasyCard for express trains will cost the same as local trains for short distances.
3:36 is a Puyuma train, HSR’s little bro (can’t use Easycard on that one though).
Don’t get your hopes up. Mountain Line just means its further away from the coast than the Coast Line. But other than that pretty much the same. The whole western side of Taiwan is mostly urban sprawl, with some exceptions, like Miaoli. If you want to see small towns at a slow paces take the slow train from Hualien to Taitung in Eastern Taiwan. Or the one from Kaohsiung to Taitung.
Actually, it can shave a little more than two hours! Some of the HSR trains from Taipei to Zuoying (Kaohsiung) only take 1:34 for NT$1490, which is less than half the time of the Puyuma and not double the price.
You can also just buy a non-seat ticket, you don’t need the Easycard.
I had heard about this mystery carriage, but didn’t know where it was on the train. Alas, I had to stand up the whole damn journey last week. It was only when I got home that I was given a better explanation on where it is located!
The Old Mountain Line is a different story. It’s scenic and full of history (quaint depots built during the Japanese colonial era). It’ll operate in a few years.
Well I took the regular train down to Kaohsiung and back, after having taking the HSR at least a hundred times.
The ride was fine and I kind of like the slower-paced looking out the window at the small towns. I saw a lot of small towns I want to visit in the future. I found the bicycle car which was either the last car on the way down or the first car on the way up. It’s kind of cool when it’s not crowded you can sit on the floor and spread out and even have a picnic with your friends with large open windows.
The trains I took were about four and a half hours which was not really a big deal. It was more difficult to get the express train tickets.
I think I’ll be taking the train on the west coast more often instead of HSR or driving because the station is usually right in the middle of town walking distance to things to do.
This was a big complaint / concern when the HSR line was being built - Taiwan is small enough, and the HSR stations are sometimes far enough from the centres of town, that there just didn’t seem a point. Sure the train would be faster, but you’d spend so much time getting to and from the station that it wouldn’t be worth the extra money.
But I’m not sure how things have actually turned out.
If you calculate the transit time to/from HSR station and towns by taxi or bus and waiting for the bus plus the costs of taxi or bus, then the difference on time and cost becomes even smaller.
I’ll generally only take the HSR (from Tainan) if I’m flying out of Taoyuan, partly because the connections are just much easier - the free HSR shuttle stops near the end of my road, and I’m towards the end of the route anyway.
Do many people in Tainan use the HSR these days? I used to live there, and I think I’ve visited twice since I moved to Taipei - both times we took the TRA. The HSR just didn’t make sense, because we wanted to be in the middle of town. I know the HSR is good for businesspeople going back and forth between Taipei and Kaohsiung, but otherwise, it’s always seemed like a boondoggle to me.
I guess people do, as I always see people waiting with suitcases for the Shalun line train from Tainan station to the HSR when I’m getting a TRA to work. Think that takes 20 mins to get out there, which is roughly the time it takes on the shuttle from my road.
I tend to agree though, I was amazed at just how far out it is. I’ve only ever used it to go to Taoyuan (and I think Taipei once), but I don’t really see the benefit of it for Tainan > …pretty much anywhere else.
Remember folks: the HSR business plan (such as it was) did not only involve generating revenue from ticket sales; it also was counting on property speculation/development around these middle-of-nowhere stations. Still the location of many stations (Tainan, Chiayi, among others) does leave one with a mystified feeling…