[Taichung 台中] Taichung Station 台中站 : From Taoyuan Airport 桃园机场 + Bus Terminal 台中转运站 + TRA Station 火车站 + Taroko Mall 大鲁阁新时代 @ Lynda's Taiwan-logue

< Visited in Jul 2019 >

The Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR 高铁) came into service in January 2007, and provided a fast and comfortable alternative to the older Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA 台铁) system for inter-city travel. If there is any downside to HSR, it is that it only covers the "left side" of Taiwan, versus TRA's much more extensive and intricate railway lines through the whole of Taiwan. If you ask me, both are equally functional for me, although I have another favoured mode of public transport - bus/coach (公车/客运).

It was via an inter-city long-distance bus from Taoyuan International Airport, that got me to Taichung for this trip. As a result of my travel research, I realised how vibrant and convenient the Taichung (TRA) station 台中火车站 zone is.

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***Long post ahead
This blog covers:
1. Getting from Taoyuan International Airport to Taichung (/other cities)
1.1 HSR 高铁
1.2 UBus 统联客运
2. Taichung Bus Terminal 台中转运站
3. Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站
4. Taroko Mall 大鲁阁新时代

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1. Getting from Taoyuan International Airport to Taichung (/other cities)

1.1 HSR 高铁

▼ Earlier mentioned, HSR covers only the main cities on the "left" of Taiwan. Which is good enough for me so far getting to Taichung or Tainan.

HSR route map.gif

To get from Taoyuan International Airport to Taichung city via HSR, my route goes like this:
▨ Taoyuan International Airport (A12/Terminal 1 & A13/Terminal 2) ⇨ Taoyuan Airport MRT to Taoyuan HSR Station (A18) ⇨ Collect pre-booked/buy HSR ticket & wait for ride

Which looks pretty straightforward albeit one switch in transport mode, some walking to the respective (MRT/HSR) stations, setting aside extra time for (flight delays and) a quick bite/takeout, and waiting for my pre-booked ride (thankfully, to HSR's credit, their average half-hourly interval is rather efficient).

From personal experience, using a 6am flight arrival as example, I would estimate:
▨ stepping out of the airport by 8am (ample time and leisurely pace for clearing customs, toilet break, luggage collection, buying local SIM and a quick drink/bite, etc.), and
▨ being on an approximate 10am HSR ride (again ample time and leisurely pace for commuting, ticket collection, F&B, toilet break, etc.). The good thing is, if you arrive much earlier at the HSR station, you can try exchanging your tickets for an earlier ride at the manned counters (subject to availability of seats and any fare difference!).
▨ arriving at Taichung by 11am.
▨ adding to that, the Taichung HSR station is on the outskirts of the city (see map below) - so a little more time to be factored in, to get to the city central / accommodation.
... i.e. a good five-ish hours from the plane touching down.

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1.2 UBus 统联客运

For the first time, I tried an alternative transport mode, which ended up being even more straightforward and no less comfortable for me - UBus 统联客运 1623.

Kuo Kuang 国光客运 - which I usually take to Taipei Main Station - has a bus service (1860) to Taichung City too. Both buses take about 2hours and end at my intended Taichung Station, near my accommodation. From online reviews, UBus seems more comfortable, and not having tried their service before, I decided to go with this.

For information on:
📌 Taoyuan Airport's inter-city bus services, click here.
📌 UBus 统联客运 #1623 to Taichung, click here.
📌 Kuo Kuang 国光客运 #1860 to Taichung, click here.

▼ Terminal 1's bus ticketing counters and berths are located at B1 (where the convenience stores are, one at each end).

Unsure about how popular my desired bus timing was, I had made a prior online reservation. Though the bus departed with only a handful of passengers, I still encourage prior reservation, especially if you are travelling in a group.

▼ Collected my pre-booked bus ticket at 7.30am.

▼ Fortunately, I was able to make it for the 8.05am ride as planned (no unforseen delays prior) - after getting my local SIM and breakfast for my ride.

▼ Spent some time at the air-conditioned and well-equipped waiting hall, before stepping out to Berth 13 ten minutes prior to my ride.

▼ One of the reasons why I love taking coaches - there is a luggage compartment and I do not need to have mine by my side (a consideration when taking MRT and HSR).

▼ If I recall correctly, Kuo Kuang's coaches are 2x2 seats, whereas UBus' are 2x1 - thus online reviews favoured the latter to be more comfortable (and newer). It's free seating, by the way.

▼ And off we go, punctually, on our 2-ish hour ride (subject to traffic jam). Eating is permitted on the bus (take your thrash with you) and after my hot latte and riceball, I soon dozed off looking out of the window.

▼ Reached Taichung Bus Terminal 台中转运站 at 10.15am. For comparison with my estimated 5ish-hour HSR route:
▨ 6am flight arrival
▨ 7.30am bus ticket collection
▨ 8.05am departed airport for Taichung
▨ another 5mins cab ride OR 15mins stroll to my accommodation (Petrichor Hotel)
This single-transport route basically takes 4.5 hours.

Perhaps an option for consideration, weighing each route's pros and cons.

2. Taichung Bus Terminal 台中转运站

▼ Using Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站 as the base to get our bearings on the zone I am introducing in the rest of this blog.

▨ Taichung Bus Terminal 台中转运站 is in front of Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站, within sight from each other, separated by a road which takes about five minutes to navigate across the vehicular and human traffic.
▨ Miyahara 宫原眼科, which would be a familiar attraction, is about 5-10 minutes on foot.
▨ Petrichor Hotel 朗舍行馆, my selected accommodation, is about 15 minutes on foot (though I had taken a short cab ride upon arrival, before I got a sense of my directions and to quickly unload my luggage before commencing the day's itinerary).
▨ Taroko Mall 大鲁阁新时代 is 5-10 minutes walk away, at the "back of" Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站.

▼ Alighting and boarding berths are at the back of the Terminal.

▼ There is a small selection of F&B within the Terminal.

▼ The bus companies have their own shop units.

While I did not spend more time to explore the Terminal in detail, I read online that there are coin lockers and washrooms at one end of the Terminal.

▼ Exiting the front of the Terminal, there is a row of short houses towards the left, housing smart lockers, scooter rental and indoor parking (for scooters).

3. Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站

▼ Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站 is right opposite.

▲ This grand new building is actually the third-generation TRA station, launched in three phases (Oct 2016, Oct 2018 and Aug 2020).

▼ Taichung Bus Terminal 台中转运站 is within sight.

▼ The "retired" TRA station remains, a contrasting architecture with its charming red-brick structure and a western-style wooden roofing, completed in 1917. And this, is the second-generation station.

The first-generation (original) station was established in 1905 during the Japanese occupation, and had a simpler, Japanese-style wooden structure - a sight we can only view in photo archives now. The very first and subsequent station masters were Japanese, until a local was first appointed in 1945.

In 1995, the Taiwanese government declared the station a state monument. Unfortunately, 1999's 921 earthquake severely damaged the historical building, which had to be reinforced with steel for safety and continued use, until the brand new station was ready for use.

▼ Fortunately, we can still admire the old station up-close. I can only imagine its former glory in the olden days, having seen generations come and go, bearing witness to historical moments.

▼ The entire train station has a vast frontyard now, before an entire zone of shops, eateries and hotels come into the picture. (I will share more at the end of the blog.)

▼ Found 2 photos of the station in 2015... while it was still in use and the new station was but a skeletal structure in the distance.

▼ Back to the new building, the station proper is on second floor, while the ground floor is a designated taxi stand.

▲ Taichung is quite a transport hub, given its central location in the country - and many foreign workers (from Southeast Asia) make their way to or through the city. In fact, you will find quite a number of these foreigners around the station vicinity, as there are many shops and eateries catering to their native needs - a nearby mall ASEAN Square 东协广场 makes you feel you are out of Taiwan.

▼ While exploring the train station, I decided to buy a ticket for the next day's Qingshui 清水 trip. Advance sale (and collection of pre-booked tickets) is possible - a convenient service if you prefer to have these on hand at one go. If you noticed, there is no time stamp on my ticket from Qingshui back to Taichung, as it is valid for single use on the stipulated date (限当日有效).

▼ Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站 by night projects another ambience.

▼ The "other side" or back of Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站, from where I would make my way to the next (and last) feature of this blog.

▼ Behind Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站 is really another vibrant zone of more shops and eateries. I really can't imagine anyone going hungry or being bored staying around the train station.

4. Taroko Mall 大鲁阁新时代

Bringing us to the next (and last) feature of this blog - Taroko Mall 大鲁阁新时代. I had decided to include this mall in my itinerary, just to beef up the variety of sights while exploring this zone - and just in case some of you need this dimension to your travel plans. From Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站, the mall is a mere 5-10 minutes walk, though it may take longer as you navigate the crowd or enroute distractions.

▼ I did some quick shopping - and took a break from photography - but my highlight was really B1 where my (takeout) dinner was.

▼ Still had to have my TKK Fried Chicken when I see it, even though there are many more popular fried chicken chains in Taiwan.

▼ Earlier mentioned, there is an entire zone of shops, eateries and hotels in front of Taichung TRA Station 台中火车站. I highly recommend staying near the station, though I reinforce the need to research a little more, to find the accommodation that best suits you. I had decided on Petrichor Hotel 朗舍行馆 - about 15 minutes walk away - as it gave me proximity to the train station (and its many surrounding bus stops), as well as shops and F&B. BUT without being in the epicentre of crowds and possible noise.

Walking in this direction brings me to Miyahara 宫原眼科 and Petrichor Hotel 朗舍行馆.

Did I mention that it is impossible to go hungry (or bored) in this zone? The sights enroute my accommodation speak for themselves. Together with my takeouts from Taroko Mall 大鲁阁新时代, I had a mean dinner and supper waiting for me in the comfort of my hotel room.