StayTaitungStayFUN~ Taiwan Train Reservation Step-by-Step

Grasp a seat next to window, having a sip of your favorite coffee, thumb through your favorite book or magazine, having a big bite of sandwich or lunchbox, enjoying the scenery off the window like watching a non-stop sliding show of scenic post cards....That supposes to be the pleasure of taking a train journey!

However, planning a train journey or attempting to reserve a seat to your favorite destination in Taiwan may frustrate your passion about your expecting train journey!  At least the totally "Bilingual unfriendly" train reservation website will drive you crazy for sure!

Taiwan Rail Administration (TRA) accepts online or phone reservation to book a train seat 2 weeks prior to your travelling date!  Travelling on the weekday will never be a big problem to take a confirmed seat in Taiwan, but last minute decision makers will end up with a nightmare of train ride in Taiwan!    Simply remember the following tips to ensure your pleasant travelling experience:

A.  Plan and book 2 weeks before your expecting travelling date!

B.  Heading to holiday cities (Hualien, Taitung, Yi-Lan, Tainan, Kaohsiung and so on) on Friday or Saturday will cause you a big headache grasping a seat to your destination!  While on opposite from these cities return to Taipei on late Saturday/Sunday/Early Monday will be another  headache!  To avoid these days will ensure you a quieter and smooth train holiday in Taiwan!

Taiwan Railway Administraion

http://www.railway.gov.tw

TRA website provides English reservation system, however, it is still not that friendly, comparing with Chinese version!  When you have finally done your reservation and feeling so proud of yourself beating this weird system, well, your next great challenging is just there facing you!  IMAGINE, the online payment system got no ENGLISH website at all!  Although you may pay and collect your train ticket in A. Any TRA train station   B. Post Office  C. Soon will be any 7-11 or Family Mart, your great convenient neighbors, however, what if you are still hundreds or thousands miles away from Taiwan?  The reservation won't be hold for you until your plane carries you to Taiwan to collect your ticket!  So...."Online Payment" will be the greatest option for you!

Let's see the "reservation step-by-step" and "payment step-by-step"!

To Reserve A Seat by TRA Online Reservation System
 

Access to the "Reservation Page" on http://railway.hinet.net
You will see all the Chinese wordings!  Try to scroll down the left banners to see the "English" icon, click it and access to English page!  Or open the following page directly
http://railway.hinet.net/net_eng.htm

You may start to choose and reserve your expecting trains!
Click on "Order Tickets Using Train Types & Duration Time", this function will be a bit easier to search for your ideal train!

I do suggest to open another window for check the train schedules
Train Schedule Inquiry (English)
http://163.29.3.96/TWRail_EN/index.aspx

That will help a bit for more specifying on the availability of your expecting trains!  If you set up the duration time wide and long, normally the first available train will be automatically reserved without your confirmation!  Therefore, try to specify the train type and narrow the time for 2~3hours for the system to pick up a seat accordingly!

There won't be some alternation trains for your choice but pop out reserved train for you!  If the train is shown in accordance with your expecting, then congratulation, you've made the first challenge!  If no, well, copy down the booking number, cancel this reservation and check another available trains!  (Or you may do cancel the reservation after your ideal train is reserved!  However, 1 Passport Number will allow only 4 records at the same time!  Sooner later, you still need to cancel if you are exceeding the quota!)

Indeed, the Chinese version got a convenient searching engine for same day available trains!  However, to proceed the searching, that requires a VALID Taiwan Passport Number!  If you are lucky to have a Taiwanese friend who allows you to use his/her ID number reservation, then you may proceed this search!

If your friend is willing to borrow you his/her ID Number, and you have done the reservation, you still need to collect your ticket in the Station by presenting his ID Card.  Normally a hardcopy version is acceptable for presenting to the TRA ticketing clerks!  There is another tricky way to avoid the presenting of Taiwan ID Card (but a Valid ID number is still required!)  I will introduce about that in the later part!

Chinese page will show up more available trains for your choice!  Simple click on your expecting Train Number!

Then the reservation will be completed successfully!  They will be a notice of payment deadline on the bottom part of this page!  Please proceed online payment (or pay in the Train Station if you are in Taiwan) before the deadline!

To Pay for Your Ticket by TRA "Online Payment" System

Since English page is available in the reservation page, though only limited functions, you will face a greater challenge for "Online Payment" part!

Open the "TRA Online Payment (or the EPAYMENT)" Page, Chinese only!
https://ticket.chinatrust.com.tw/railway/index.php

You may also open the main page of TRA, but you have to choose the very left icon of "Chinese" to link to the Epayment Page!

Chinese Version looks much more functional than English one, well, no blame on this issue!  Haha!  Click on "02." for Online Payment page!

As most online shopping page, Check on the box to confirm you have read all the terms and condition!  (well, ....How can you really do so? if no English page available?!)  

BTW, there is a great deal for TRA system that to encourage more passengers to pay the ticket online, 5% discount will be provided if your payment is done on this website!  Good deal though!

As familiar layout, your reserved ID/passport number, reference code should be fill in!  If you have reserved by your passport number, be sure to check on the circle of "Reserved by Passport Number", which is listed next to "One Way Ticket"!

If you have reserved a round trip seats, with totally same departure/arrival destination sectors, you may pay round trips at the same time!  I remember that some discount will be valid if purchasing a round trip tickets!  However, with the credit card payment online 5% discount, I'd rather not to bother too much about the return ticket promotion since who knows if I am going to change my mind of returning day?!

Click on "Submit" to proceed your request!

Your reserved information will be shown on this page again!  If you are not travelling alone, you may choose to pay the ticket in accordance with the actual travelling passengers!  Child fare and senior fare are available!  If you reserved more than 1 seats but finally only you alone will be travelling, you may still scroll down the correct number of travelling passengers and pay for them!  They only accept one credit card to pay all at one time!  No worry, new fares will be shown in next page after your choices are made!

Here we go!  The finally total payable to be charged to your credit card!

TRA system only accept VISA and Master Card!

Be noted that the 2 circles below the expiry dates are designed for Public Officers' annual benefits!  Since you are not working for Taiwan government, just leave that circle be chosen on "No"!  Then you are ready to pay for your ticket!

Some credit card banks will require card holders to verify the transaction by entering pre-setup passwords!  I think most frequent online shoppers may be quite familiar with this page!  If you are not so sure about what is that password functional for, please call your credit card bank for details!

OK!  If there is anything wrong, the error message will be shown as above!

If you may found your train/seats number on the page the the credit card authorization approval reference, congratulations, you got your tickets!!

But even if you print out this page, you can still not board the train!  You still need to show this page with the passport used for this reservation, show the ticketing clerk in the train station 30min prior to your train departure!  Then you can board the ticket by that credit card size ticket and start your train journey in Taiwan!

To Refund Your Paid Ticket

In the case you can not travel on the reserved date or you have changed your travelling plan, you can still cancel the reservation and get the refund by operating that on your computer!  You don't even need to bother to rush to the train station!  And you just need to pay TWD13 for the cancellation service fee!  (not even more than $50cent!!)  If you reserved the ticket during Chinese New Year or assigned peak seasons, a higher service charge up to 10% of the paid fare will be charged then!

Please be noted, this request can only be done 3 hours before your reserved train departure!  Otherwise you can to refund your ticket in the Train Station by person with your paid credit card and reservation details!
In case you miss the train and willing to travel in the same day, your ticket is still valid but no any reserved seats for you!  (Either you have to stand all the way, or grasp any vacant seats in the train!)

Here you go, the cancellation Step-By-Step:

Open the Epayment page, click on the 3rd icon on the left banner!

It will show up very similar layout like the ready-to-pay page!

After retrieving from your reserved details, if everything is correct, click on the red ICON to proceed your refund request!

Normally it will take about 3~5weeks for the auditing procedures then refund the money to your credit card bill!

Then, you save a run to the station now!

To Collect (Print out) Your Ticket By Yourself in Station with TRA Kiosk

In most major cities, the Train Stations are facilitated with Ticketing KIOSK.  Most of the time there are less people waiting in front of the Kiosk than the ticketing counters!  (Sorry, Taitung is not considered as "Major city" in TRA...sigh!!)

You can pay the ticket (Cash only), or print out the ticket that you have paid by Epayment!  See the following instructions.

The Ticketing Vending Machine (Or Kiosk???) looks like this!  No worry!  It is always located somewhere nearby the ticketing counter in the station to help the long waiting line in front of the ticketing counters!  However, I am afraid most Taiwanese are not familiar with this super convenient service, so you can still see that soooooo long waiting line in front of the ticketing counter but barely no one use this!

Well, go ahead taking this good advantage of "TRA Super Express Service"!
(simply because of no one use that!!)

If you have paid your ticket by Epayment as mentioned above, touch the icon of "Ticket Collection" on the screen!

Enter your Taiwan friend's ID number that you reserved with, or your passport number!
**This is the secret that I mentioned previously that.....collecting your ticket by this Kiosk will not require any real copy of that ID or passport!!  Only if you copied down these numbers by your PDA or a piece of paper...hehe!

Then the 6 digits booking reference number!

Here you go!  You got your ticket and ready to board the train!


Please make sure to keep some time for yourself to buy some nice sandwiches or a lunch box of your favorite tastes, some waters or drinks and some reading, then, you are really ready for a nice train riding in Taiwan!

Enjoy and Welcome to Taitung!



Related article:  Trains to Taitung



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