A little late on this, but I just wanted to tell everyone the train journey worked out really well and I made it to Taitung. I ended up sitting next to a guy that spoke English on the way down so we had a nice chat!
Thank you to everyone that gave me tips and advice!
Photos!!!
Thanks to the super awesome glare on the window of the train, there are no internet-worthy pictures from that tripā¦hahaha. HOWEVER, here is one for you. Took this yesterday at Taitung Forest Park 
And then I got fried to a crisp and went to buy stronger sunscreen. Lesson learned.
Ah, beautiful, yes, but deadly. Indeed, nothing less than 50 SP will do. Reapply frequently.
Any pictures of the sea? The wavy bridge?
Hope you got to the Tree.
Havenāt been anywhere out of Taitung city yet, but those places are all on
my list! The beaches in the city are full of garbageā¦not that amazing for
taking pictures!
Beaches in the city?! Never! For Chishang, you can take the train, then bike around. For the nicer beaches -with awesome views and rocks, even camping grounds- or the famous bridge -cross te bridge to escape the crowds and youāll find a treasure- they have two mini buses doing the rounds. Or taxi.
Just tried to buy train tickets to Taitung online (for dragon boat festival time) when they are supposedly available for everyone starting after midnight, using like 3 computers that were already auto-filled with info. Didnāt even see 1 opening.
This feels so rigged.
those travel agencies have more computers and secret backdoor, lol
Iāve been traveling to that part of the island off peak times, and since they introduced the longer 12 car trains (the lovely Hitachi EMU 3000s) I have not had any trouble getting tickets.
Maybe just plan your trip some other less busy time? Taitung will still be awesome then.
Guy