Taipei Main Station is by far the busiest station in Taiwan. It is served by both interurban railways and the urban metros. The station is located in the Zhongzheng District in Downtown Taipei.

History

The first rail station in Taipei was completed in Dadaocheng in 1891, when the railway to Keelung was opened to service. In 1901, the station was to the east of the current location. The station was rebuilt in 1940 to accommodate growing passenger traffic.

To aleviate traffic congestion caused by railroad crossings in downtown Taipei, an undergroud railway tunnel between Huashan and Wanhua was built along with the present station building. When the underground system was completed on September 2, 1989, railway service was moved to the newly completed building and the old building as well as a temporary station were demolished.

The current station was further expanded with the completion of the Taipei Rapid Transit System (a.k.a. MRT). The MRT station is connected to the basement of the railway station and opened to passenger traffic in 1998.

Services

• Taiwan Railway Administration: Passengers can take a train to most cities in Taiwan without transferring. East-bound (clockwise) trains may go to Keelung, Yilan, Hualian, Taitung, etc. West-bound (counterclockwise) trains go to Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, etc.

• Taipei Rapid Transit System: Taipei Main Station is served by both Danshui Line and Banqiao/Nangang Line directly and is a major transit point.

• CKS International Airport Access MRT System: A route to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport is planned for completion in 2009

• Taiwan High Speed Rail: Taiwan HSR is scheduled to start service in October 2005.

• City Buses: Bus routes to destinations throughout the Taipei Basin run through the area.

• Intercity Buses: Many bus companies provide service from Taipei to cites in the western half of Taiwan as well as Yilan and Hualian.