There is no single best way to commute from Taoyuan to Taipei; it depends on which station you start from, your budget and your working hours. According to official website data checked on 2026-11-07, a Taiwan Railway (台鐵) local train from Taoyuan station to Taipei station costs NT$63 one way and takes about 40 to 48 minutes; from Zhongli station to Taipei station the local train costs NT$85 and takes about 52 to 60 minutes; the 30-day High Speed Rail pass from HSR Taoyuan station to Taipei station is NT$4,555; on the Taoyuan Airport MRT, a single ticket from HSR Taoyuan station (A18) to Taipei Main Station (A1) is NT$155, and the 30-day value pass is NT$3,255. If your trip falls within the scope of the Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan metropolitan pass (基北北桃都會通, TPASS 1200, NT$1,200 per 30 days), it can cover Taiwan Railway local trains, the Airport MRT and the coach routes on its list; the High Speed Rail is not in the list of covered services.
How this article calculates, first: The fares and times are one-way data found on each official website on 2026-11-07, and the times are for services leaving between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on Monday, 2026-11-09. For single tickets, the monthly cost is always calculated as "22 working days a month, 1 round trip each day", which is this article's assumption, not an official figure; TPASS and the various commuter passes are bought once for 30 days, not a calendar month; if your actual working days differ, convert them yourself. Services and fares change, so check the official websites again before you travel.
First, where are you starting from
There are roughly four ways from Taoyuan to Taipei: the Taiwan Railway trunk line, the Airport MRT, coaches, and the High Speed Rail. The table below lists only combinations for which official data can be found.
| Starting area | Options to consider | One-way fare (official website) | Travel time (official website) |
|---|
| Near Taoyuan station | Taiwan Railway local train, local express, Tze-Chiang limited express | Local and local express NT$63; Tze-Chiang NT$99 | Local 40 to 48 minutes, local express 36 to 43 minutes, Tze-Chiang 31 to 32 minutes |
| Near Zhongli station | Taiwan Railway local train, local express, Tze-Chiang limited express | Local and local express NT$85; Tze-Chiang NT$132 | Local 52 to 60 minutes, local express 48 to 55 minutes, Tze-Chiang 41 to 44 minutes |
| Near HSR Taoyuan station (Airport MRT A18) | Airport MRT, High Speed Rail | Airport MRT A18 to A1 NT$155 (30-day value pass NT$3,255); HSR non-reserved seat NT$155 (pass priced separately) | HSR 16 to 22 minutes; the official page does not list minutes for Airport MRT A18 to A1 |
| Near Airport MRT A7 Sports University station and A8 Chang Gung Hospital station | Airport MRT | A7 to A1 NT$65, A8 to A1 NT$75 (30-day value passes NT$1,365 and NT$1,575 respectively) | The official page does not list minutes from A7 or A8 to A1 |
The Taiwan Railway figures are for services leaving between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on Monday, 2026-11-09, from the Taiwan Railway timetable and fare lookup; the High Speed Rail figures come from the High Speed Rail website's timetable and fare lookup (Taoyuan to Taipei, Monday, 2026-11-09; services after 7:00 a.m. take 16 to 22 minutes). The Airport MRT pages do not list the travel minutes for A18 to A1 or for A7 and A8 to A1, and this article does not work them out itself. For commuting and daily life around A7 and A8, see this site's Linkou and Guishan A7, A8, A9 commute comparison.
Taiwan Railway: Taoyuan and Zhongli to Taipei
Taiwan Railway runs direct from Taoyuan station and Zhongli station to Taipei; the table below is the result of the official website lookup for services leaving between 07:00 and 09:00 on Monday, 2026-11-09.
| Origin and destination | Train type | Full fare | Travel time listed on the official website |
|---|
| Taoyuan to Taipei | Local | NT$63 | 40 to 48 minutes |
| Taoyuan to Taipei | Local express | NT$63 | 36 to 43 minutes |
| Taoyuan to Taipei | Tze-Chiang limited express (including services labeled 自強(3000)) | NT$99 | 31 to 32 minutes |
| Zhongli to Taipei | Local | NT$85 | 52 to 60 minutes |
| Zhongli to Taipei | Local express | NT$85 | 48 to 55 minutes |
| Zhongli to Taipei | Tze-Chiang limited express (including services labeled 自強(3000)) | NT$132 | 41 to 44 minutes |
For this time window, the official website lists 14 trains leaving Taoyuan station for Taipei (9 local, 2 local express, 3 Tze-Chiang, of which 2 are labeled 自強(3000)); leaving Zhongli station it likewise lists 14. The official website does not mark any of these services as suspended. Whether services labeled 自強(3000) are covered by TPASS should be checked against the "EMU3000" exception in the terms of use and confirmed with Taiwan Railway. Which train you actually take should be worked back from your working hours. The Taiwan Railway website also reminds passengers that the company adjusts services from time to time, and it is advisable to check the timetable again one week before a trip; the fare calculation also states that the actual fare is based on the distance the train actually runs and on tickets sold at the station.
Taiwan Railway local trains fall within the scope listed in the TPASS terms of use; see the section "Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan metropolitan pass (TPASS): what it covers" below.
Airport MRT: A18, A7 and A8 stations
The timetable page on the Taoyuan Metro website (桃園捷運) lists five kinds of train labels: express trains stopping at A1, A3, A8, A12 and A13; peak-hour express trains with extra stops at A18 and A21; ordinary trains stopping at every station; peak-hour skip-stop ordinary trains; and extra services added toward the airport. The page says ordinary trains run every 15 minutes. The Airport MRT page of the Taoyuan city government tourism website adds: express trains operate from 06:00 to 23:00 at intervals of 15 to 30 minutes, with a running time of 35 minutes from A1 to A12; ordinary trains take 49 minutes from A1 to A12 and 82 minutes from A1 to A21.
| Origin and destination (Taoyuan Metro fare table, one way) | Fare |
|---|
| A1 Taipei Main Station to A7 Sports University station | NT$65 |
| A1 Taipei Main Station to A8 Chang Gung Hospital station | NT$75 |
| A1 Taipei Main Station to A12 Airport Terminal 1 station | NT$160 |
| A1 Taipei Main Station to A18 HSR Taoyuan station | NT$155 |
| A1 Taipei Main Station to A21 Huanbei station | NT$155 |
This fare table is the PDF "fare table" (票價表) linked from the Taoyuan Metro single-journey ticket page; the PDF itself carries no date; every origin and destination combination in the table has a figure, and the highest is NT$160. This article did not check whether electronic tickets carry a further discount; rely on the Taoyuan Metro announcements.
The same PDF also includes a "7-day value pass fee table" and a "30-day value pass fee table". The Taoyuan Metro pass page says the value pass fee is calculated as "full fare between the designated stations × 30 days × 2 uses a day × 35% (35 折, that is, 35% of the full fare)"; it is valid for 30 days after first use, allows unlimited rides between the designated stations, is registered in the holder's name and limited to the holder, the first purchase must be made at the station information counter, and a card fee of NT$50 (non-refundable) is also charged. The 30-day fare table figures are: A1 to A7 NT$1,365, A1 to A8 NT$1,575, A1 to A18 NT$3,255 and A1 to A21 NT$3,255. For example A18: 155 × 30 × 2 × 0.35 = 3,255. A ride beyond the designated stations requires buying a supplementary ticket (補票).
Two points to note. First, express trains do not stop at A7, A18 or A21, and only the peak-hour express trains stop at A18 and A21; at other times, leaving from these stations means taking an ordinary train, which takes longer. Second, the Taoyuan city government tourism website says ordinary trains take 82 minutes from A1 to A21; that figure is for the whole run, and the page does not list minutes from A18 to A1. If you commute from A18, the more sensible approach is to use the Taoyuan Metro timetable lookup for the actual services. The Airport MRT and the High Speed Rail connect at A18; for transfers between Taoyuan station on Taiwan Railway and the Airport MRT, see Airport MRT fare and travel time to Taipei Main Station.
Coaches and High Speed Rail passes
Coach: route 1662 as an example
The route page on the website of the coach operator 統聯客運 says route 1662 runs from Taoyuan District, Taoyuan City (Taoyuan Railway Station rear station) to Songshan District, Taipei City (Songshan Airport), via Jingguo transfer station (經國轉運站), the freeway bureau stop (高公局, northbound), the hospital drop-off point (馬偕醫院下客處), the MRT Xingtian Temple drop-off stop (捷運行天宮下客站) and the National Taipei University (Taipei campus) drop-off stop. The fares on the official website are: Taoyuan Railway Station (rear station) to Songshan Airport NT$92 full fare; Taoyuan Railway Station (rear station) to the freeway bureau stop NT$60 full fare; Jingguo transfer station to Songshan Airport NT$64. The page carries no date, and the route page says the multi-card electronic ticket (多卡通) is accepted, with a tap required on boarding and alighting.
Actual coach running times are affected by traffic, the route page on the coach operator's website does not list running minutes, and this article does not provide unsourced travel times. This article did not obtain verifiable fare pages for 國光 and other operators' Taoyuan to Taipei routes, so they are not listed.
High Speed Rail commuter pass
The commuter pass rules on the High Speed Rail website are as follows; the 30-day pass fare from Taoyuan to Taipei is NT$4,555:
- The commuter pass is registered in the holder's name, issued as a contactless smart card, and sold only as full fare.
- The offer is valid for 30 days with unlimited rides, priced at 49% of the non-reserved seat fare (49 折); the website notes "calculated on 2 rides a day", which is the basis for pricing, not a limit of 2 rides a day; the validity is counted from the day of first use after purchase or renewal, for 30 days.
- Limited to non-reserved seat cars; the time from entering the station to leaving it after the ride must not exceed 3 hours 30 minutes.
- The daily deduction base amount for refunding a Taoyuan to Taipei pass is NT$310; the website says the refund is the fare actually paid minus the number of elapsed days multiplied by the base amount and the NT$20 handling fee, and if the balance is not enough to cover the deduction there is no refund.
- If someone other than the holder uses it, the fare will be charged in addition, and possibly a further 50% of the fare for the section traveled, and the card will also be taken back.
The timetable lookup on the High Speed Rail website lists the one-way fares for Taoyuan to Taipei on Monday, 2026-11-09: non-reserved seat NT$155, standard car reserved seat NT$160, business car NT$440. These are the figures shown on the lookup page that day; the various discount schemes carry their own conditions and were not checked one by one.
Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan metropolitan pass (TPASS): what it covers
The terms of use of the Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan metropolitan pass (《基北北桃都會通使用須知》, announced 2026-06-30) state a price of NT$1,200, with unlimited distance and unlimited rides on public transport in the Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan area during the validity period. The validity period is 30 consecutive days from the day of activation. The parts of the scope relevant to a Taoyuan commute are as follows:
| Mode | Scope in the terms of use | Reminders relevant to a Taoyuan commute |
|---|
| Metro | Includes the Airport MRT line run by the Taoyuan metro company (桃園大眾捷運公司) | The terms say "Airport MRT line"; this article did not check station by station |
| Taiwan Railway | Origin and destination stations both on sections such as the trunk line from Keelung station to Xinfu station in Taoyuan City, any train type; but reserved-seat trains that are exclusive and do not sell standing-room tickets (such as sightseeing, group, Taroko, Puyuma, EMU3000) are not covered | Taoyuan station and Zhongli station lie between Keelung and Xinfu in line order; whether Tze-Chiang trains are covered is not listed train by train in the terms, so rely on the terms and station announcements |
| Highway and national freeway coaches | Covered routes and sections are in Annex 1 of the terms | Annex 1 lists routes such as coach route 1662 of 統聯客運 (whole route); both the origin and the destination must be within the four cities of Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan, otherwise that trip is deducted at the original fare |
| High Speed Rail | The terms' list of covered services does not include the High Speed Rail | For the High Speed Rail, buy its own commuter pass |
There are a few principles for using TPASS: it can only be set up on an EasyCard or on the designated EasyCard mobile payment function (悠遊付), each ride is for one person only, and using a ride code (乘車碼) does not get the commuter pass benefit. For fuller rules on buying, refunding and activating, see this site's guide to buying a TPASS 1200 monthly pass. For a comparison of commuting between Keelung and Taipei, see Keelung to Taipei commute summary.
Cost comparison for 22 days a month of round trips
For single tickets, the figure multiplies the single-ticket fare on this article's assumption of "22 days a month, 1 round trip each day (44 trips in all)"; TPASS, the Airport MRT value passes and the High Speed Rail pass are all bought once for 30 days (not a calendar month). All use the fares found above, with no electronic ticket discount or transfer discount added. Taiwan Railway has its own commuter passes, which this article did not check, so they are not included.
| Option | How it is calculated | Amount per month (single tickets) or per 30 days (passes) |
|---|
| TPASS 1200 (Taiwan Railway local trains, Airport MRT and listed coaches within the scope) | Bought once, 30 consecutive days | NT$1,200 |
| Taoyuan station to Taipei station, Taiwan Railway local / local express | 63 × 44 | NT$2,772 |
| Taoyuan station to Taipei station, Taiwan Railway Tze-Chiang | 99 × 44 | NT$4,356 |
| Zhongli station to Taipei station, Taiwan Railway local / local express | 85 × 44 | NT$3,740 |
| Zhongli station to Taipei station, Taiwan Railway Tze-Chiang | 132 × 44 | NT$5,808 |
| Airport MRT A7 to A1 single ticket | 65 × 44 | NT$2,860 |
| Airport MRT A8 to A1 single ticket | 75 × 44 | NT$3,300 |
| Airport MRT A18 to A1 single ticket | 155 × 44 | NT$6,820 |
| Airport MRT A7 to A1 30-day value pass | Taoyuan Metro fee table, 30 days | NT$1,365 |
| Airport MRT A8 to A1 30-day value pass | Taoyuan Metro fee table, 30 days | NT$1,575 |
| Airport MRT A18 to A1 30-day value pass | Taoyuan Metro fee table, 30 days | NT$3,255 |
| High Speed Rail Taoyuan to Taipei commuter pass | Bought once (30 days, non-reserved seat) | NT$4,555 |
| Coach route 1662 of 統聯客運, Taoyuan Railway Station (rear station) to Songshan Airport | 92 × 44 | NT$4,048 |
How to read this table: with Airport MRT single tickets, A18 costs NT$6,820 a month, yet the 30-day value pass for the same route is NT$3,255, more than double the cost, so for regular commuting do not estimate Airport MRT costs from single-ticket fares. If your route is within the TPASS scope, NT$1,200 is lower than any other option in the table, unless you commute very few times a month; but the TPASS scope does not include the High Speed Rail, and it also has the restriction that the origin and destination must both be within Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan. The High Speed Rail pass of NT$4,555 is a 30-day unlimited-ride option; its price is based on 2 non-reserved-seat rides a day, but actual use is unlimited; it is limited to non-reserved-seat cars, and non-reserved seats are not assigned. Whether you really make 22 round-trip days a month depends on your own work schedule.
If you want to look at the weather and its effect on your commute before leaving, you can use the commute weather advisor tool.
FAQ
I live in Taoyuan and commute to Taipei; which monthly pass should I buy?
First see whether your route is within the TPASS scope. Taiwan Railway local trains, the Airport MRT and the listed coaches can be covered for NT$1,200; the High Speed Rail is not in the list of covered services and needs its own High Speed Rail commuter pass. The Airport MRT also has its own 30-day value passes, which you can compare with TPASS. The cost table above lists single tickets and passes separately, so check how each row is calculated.
Can TPASS be used on the High Speed Rail?
No. The scope in the terms of use of the Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan metropolitan pass is the metro and light rail, city buses, Taiwan Railway, highway and national freeway coaches and YouBike, and does not include the High Speed Rail. To take the High Speed Rail you need to buy a separate High Speed Rail commuter pass or single ticket.
Can I use TPASS on Taiwan Railway Tze-Chiang trains?
The terms say Taiwan Railway is covered for "any train type", but reserved-seat trains that are exclusive and do not sell standing-room tickets are not covered, with sightseeing, group, Taroko, Puyuma and EMU3000 given as examples. This article did not check Tze-Chiang trains one by one; rely on the terms and station announcements.
How much does the Airport MRT cost from different stations to Taipei Main Station?
The Taoyuan Metro fare table lists every origin and destination combination: A1 to A7 is NT$65, A1 to A8 is NT$75, A1 to A18 and A1 to A21 are NT$155, and the highest in the table is NT$160. The 30-day value passes are NT$1,365, NT$1,575 and NT$3,255 (A18 and A21 are both NT$3,255). The fare table does not explain how single-ticket fares are calculated, and this article draws no further inference.
How often do fares and services change?
The Taiwan Railway website reminds passengers that services are adjusted from time to time; the coach operator's route page and the Taoyuan Metro fare table PDF carry no date. All figures in this article are results checked on 2026-11-07, so check the official websites again before deciding on a monthly pass.
Sources
- Taiwan Railway: timetable and fare lookup (verified 2026-11-07): train types, fares and running times from Taoyuan and Zhongli to Taipei for services leaving between 07:00 and 09:00 on Monday, 2026-11-09.
- Taoyuan Metro (桃園捷運): timetable (verified 2026-11-07): stops of express, peak-hour express and ordinary trains, and the 15-minute interval for ordinary trains.
- Taoyuan Metro (桃園捷運): fare table PDF (verified 2026-11-07): single-journey fares for A1 to A7, A8, A12, A18 and A21, and the 30-day value pass fee table.
- Taoyuan Metro (桃園捷運): commuter passes and group tickets (verified 2026-11-07): how value pass fees are calculated, validity, registration and card fee rules.
- Taoyuan city government tourism website: Airport MRT (in Chinese; verified 2026-11-07): operating hours, intervals and running times of express and ordinary trains.
- Taiwan High Speed Rail: commuter pass offer (in Chinese; verified 2026-11-07): 30-day pass rules, the Taoyuan to Taipei fare of NT$4,555, and the daily deduction base amount for refunds of NT$310.
- Taiwan High Speed Rail: timetable and fare lookup (in Chinese; verified 2026-11-07): running times and one-way fares for Taoyuan to Taipei on 2026-11-09.
- Terms of use of the Keelung-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan metropolitan pass (基北北桃都會通使用須知) (announced 2026-06-30; verified 2026-11-07): price of NT$1,200, validity period, covered modes and the coach route annex.
- Coach operator 統聯客運: route 1662, Taoyuan Railway Station rear station to Songshan Airport (in Chinese; verified 2026-11-07): route stops and fares.
