Let's Talk Tracks: Taiwan Railway Corporation's Massive Upgrades and Route Expansions (Announced for June 26, 2025)
Enhanced rail services to commence from Taiwan Railway starting on June 26.
Gear up, fellow rail enthusiasts! Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) has some exciting changes in store following key infrastructure upgrades. Mark your calendars — changes kick off on June 26, 2025.
After the reconstruction of the Siaocingshui Bridge (小清水溪橋) between Heren (和仁) and Chongde (崇德) stations in Hualien County, the company will add two additional Tze-Chiang Express trains to the Eastern Trunk Line. This comes after the bridge was rebuilt after Typhoon Gaemi's devastation in August 2023[1]. With dual-track operations resumed in December 2023, travel times between Taipei and Hualien have seen a significant reduction[1].
Starting June 26, there will be a new Shulin Station (新台北市) to Taitung Station (台東站) service, running only between Taipei and Hualien to minimize stops[2].
On the Western Trunk Line, two Tze-Chiang Express 3000 (3000式列車) trains will be added on Saturdays between Cidu (七堵) in Keelung and Changhua County. This move aims to provide additional passenger capacity on direct services between Taipei, Taichung's Fongyuan District (豐原), and Taichung[2].
TRC will also add two carriages to each of the 22 daily local trains running between Keelung and Hsinchu, increasing them to 10-car formations[2]. A new local morning service will launch between Jhongli (中壢) in Taoyuan and Cidu, addressing commuting congestion in the north[2]. With these adjustments, local train capacity in northern Taiwan is expected to rise by 4.4 percent overall and by 10.3 percent during the morning rush hour[2].
Central Taiwan will also see capacity increases, with TRC adding capacity to 18 local train services following the completion of a project to extend station platforms to accommodate 10-car trains[2]. The routes of two Semi Express services between Cidu and Changhua will be extended to Sinzuoying (新左營) in Kaohsiung on weekends and public holidays, increasing overall local train capacity by 5.8 percent[2].
In total, 386 train services will run under the revised schedule[3]. Group ticket reservations for the new services will open on May 23, followed by general ticket sales on May 29[3].
[1] Source(s): Taiwan News (2023) - [Link][2] Source(s): Taiwan Today (2025) - [Link][3] Source(s): The China Post (2025) - [Link]
- The Taiwan Railway Corporation (TRC) will add two additional Tze-Chiang Express trains to the Eastern Trunk Line following the reconstruction of the Siaocingshui Bridge, which was rebuilt after Typhoon Gaemi's devastation in August 2023.
- On the Western Trunk Line, two Tze-Chiang Express 3000 trains will be added on Saturdays between Cidu and Changhua County, aiming to provide additional passenger capacity on direct services between Taipei, Taichung's Fongyuan District, and Taichung.
- TRC will add two carriages to each of the 22 daily local trains running between Keelung and Hsinchu, increasing them to 10-car formations, and will launch a new local morning service between Jhongli and Cidu to address commuting congestion in the north.
- In total, 386 train services will run under the revised schedule, with group ticket reservations for the new services opening on May 23 and general ticket sales commencing on May 29.
