The easiest way between Kaohsiung and Tainan is a Taiwan Railway (TRA) Tze-Chiang express from Kaohsiung Station to Tainan Station: about 30 to 38 minutes, NT$158, and you arrive in the middle of town. Local trains cost less and take about an hour. The High Speed Rail is faster on the train itself, but its Tainan station is out of the city.
We live in Tainan, and Kaohsiung is our backyard. This is the trip we make, and the trains keep getting better: the modern EMU3000 expresses, a brand-new underground Tainan Station from October 2026, and new HSR trains on the way.
- Fastest TRA Tze-Chiang or Puyuma, Kaohsiung Station to Tainan Station, about 30 min, NT$158
- Cheapest TRA local train, 57 to 81 min, NT$102
- HSR Zuoying to Tainan HSR, 11 to 13 min, NT$140 (reserved)
- Trains About 74 direct TRA trains a day, Kaohsiung to Tainan
What's new
- A new Tainan Station (17 October 2026). Tainan's railway went underground, and the new station opened on 17 October 2026. Signs are colour-coded and labelled, blue for northbound and green for southbound, a first for Taiwan Railway. The ticket machines read QR codes, and old magnetic-stripe tickets no longer work. The 1936 station building is closed for restoration, so you use a different entrance.
- The EMU3000 Tze-Chiang. Taiwan Railway's newest express train, built by Hitachi, has run since December 2021 and all 50 sets are now in service. It does Tainan to Kaohsiung in about half an hour, 17 times a day, with a business-class car (car 6) and, on some trains, a car of unreserved seats.
- New HSR trains (from 2027). The first of 12 new N700ST trains arrived at the Port of Kaohsiung in August 2026. The HSR expects the first three in service from 1 July 2027 and all twelve by September 2028, adding about a quarter more seats at peak times.
Taiwan Railway: the downtown option
Kaohsiung Station and Tainan Station are both in the city centre, so the regular railway is usually the better choice. Adult one-way fares, Kaohsiung to Tainan, from the TRA timetable in October 2026:
| Train | Time | Fare | Tap a card? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local (區間) | 57 to 81 min | NT$102 | Yes |
| Local express (區間快) | 39 to 56 min | NT$102 | Yes |
| Tze-Chiang, older trains | 35 to 45 min | NT$158 | Yes |
| Tze-Chiang EMU3000 | 30 to 38 min | NT$158 | No, ticket needed |
| Puyuma | 28 to 38 min | NT$158 | No, ticket needed |
Good to know: the EMU3000, Puyuma and Taroko trains sell seats only, so you can't board them by tapping an iPASS or EasyCard. Buy a ticket at the station machine or in the Taiwan Railway app. On local and older Tze-Chiang trains, tapping in and out works.
From Xinzuoying Station (next to the HSR at Zuoying), a Tze-Chiang to Tainan takes 24 to 34 minutes for NT$129, and a local train 41 to 58 minutes for NT$83.
High Speed Rail: Zuoying to Tainan
The HSR runs between Zuoying, its southern terminus in northern Kaohsiung, and Tainan HSR Station in 11 to 13 minutes, with about 65 trains a day each way. The catch is that Tainan HSR Station is in Guiren, well outside the city centre. To get downtown, take the Shalun Line train from Shalun Station, next door, to Tainan Station: 18 to 25 minutes, NT$37.
| HSR ticket, Zuoying to Tainan | Adult | Concession |
|---|---|---|
| Standard, reserved | NT$140 | NT$70 |
| Standard, non-reserved | NT$135 | NT$65 |
| Business | NT$410 | NT$205 |
Use the HSR if you're already at Zuoying, for example arriving from Taipei, or heading somewhere near Tainan HSR Station. For downtown to downtown, the TRA is simpler.
Riding a lot? The TPASS
The TPASS for Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung (南高屏) costs NT$999 for 30 days and covers TRA local, local express, Chu-Kuang and PP Tze-Chiang trains, the MRT, the light rail, buses, ferries and the first 30 minutes of YouBike in all three areas. It doesn't cover the EMU3000, Puyuma or Taroko. It's built for commuters, so it only pays off if you're riding most days.
→ Getting around Kaohsiung · Plan your trip
Coming from the other direction? Inside Tainan has the same trip from the Tainan end, with the airports and the trains from Taipei: getting to Tainan.
Sources: journey times, train counts and fares from the official Taiwan Railway timetable and the Taiwan High Speed Rail timetable and fare tool (queried for 30 October 2026). The new Tainan Station: Focus Taiwan, Taipei Times and CNA. EMU3000: Taiwan News and Liberty Times. N700ST: Focus Taiwan. TPASS: Liberty Times. Checked October 2026.