The Taoyuan Airport MRT will open by the end of next year; travel time from Taipei Main Station to the airport will take just 35 minutes

▲ The Taoyuan Airport MRT will open partially by the end of next year. (Photo / fromMy New Taipei City fan page)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The much-anticipated Taoyuan Airport MRT is finally set to open by the end of 2015. In the future, passengers traveling from Taipei Main Station to Taoyuan Airport will be able to reach their destination in just 35 minutes by taking a direct train.

The Taoyuan Airport MRT route starts from Taipei Main Station, passes through Taoyuan’s Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, and ends at Zhongli Railway Station. Along the way, it stops at places such as Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of the airport, transit hotels, and the high-speed rail station. The line has a total of 23 stations and spans approximately 53.07 kilometers.

Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (Taoyuan Branch) stated that the airport MRT will offer two types of services in the future. The first is the purple Express Direct Train, which departs from Taipei Main Station and only stops at major stations in the urban area and the airport, reaching Terminal 1 of Taoyuan Airport in just 35 minutes. The blue Regular Train, similar to a typical MRT, stops at every station, so it takes about 50 minutes to reach Terminal 1.

However, although the Taoyuan MRT is set to open by the end of 2015, the initially opened section will only be from Taipei Main Station to Huanbei Station. The section from Huanbei Station to Zhongli Railway Station will not open until 2019. Additionally, to save passengers’ time, the airport MRT plans to allow check-in services at Taipei Main Station, New Taipei Industrial Park Station, and Taoyuan High-Speed Rail Station in the future.

% A high-speed express train that connects the city to the airport (Photo / provided by Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation)

Taoyuan Airport MRTBasic Information

1. The total route length is approximately 53 kilometers, including about 13 kilometers of underground sections and about 40 kilometers of elevated sections. It covers three administrative regions: Taoyuan County, New Taipei City, and Taipei City, with a total of 24 stations along the way, including 15 elevated stations and 9 underground stations. It connects with the Taipei MRT, Taiwan High-Speed Rail, and Taiwan Railways.

2. The MRT system provides two different types of services: Direct Train and Regular Train. The Direct Train is designed mainly to serve air travelers, while the Regular Train is intended for regular commuters in the metropolitan area. The journey from Taipei Main Station to the airport terminal takes about 35 minutes on the Direct Train, while the Regular Train takes about 75 minutes from Taipei Main Station through the airport terminal to Zhongli Railway Station.

3. The Urban Pre-Check-In Service is a convenient value-added service provided for air travelers. Simply put, it extends the airline check-in counters inside the airport to the urban city center, turning parts of MRT or railway stations into a miniature version of the airport. Passengers can check in their luggage, select seats, and obtain boarding passes here in advance.

Source of the above basic information: Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation

▲ Operation route map of the “Taoyuan Airport MRT” (Photo / provided by Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation)