From Taoyuan Airport, wait for the express to central Taipei

From Taoyuan Airport to central Taipei, wait for the express. Use the commuter if your destination is a station the express skips. Both train types charge the same fare, and the express does not require a premium ticket or reservation.

The regular express stops at A13 Terminal 2, A12 Terminal 1, A8 Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, A3 New Taipei Industrial Park and A1 Taipei Main Station. The commuter stops at every station, according to Taoyuan Metro’s timetable key.

The quick decision

Destination from the airport	Train to take	Why
A1 Taipei Main Station	Express	It saves about 14 minutes
A3 New Taipei Industrial Park	Express	It saves about 13 minutes
A8 Chang Gung Memorial Hospital	First train	The express saves only about 5 minutes
A2, A4–A7 or A9–A11	Commuter	The regular express skips these stations
A14a, A15–A17, A19–A20 or A22	Commuter	Regular express trains do not serve them
A18 or A21	Check the display	Commuters stop there; selected extended expresses also do

For A1 Taipei Main Station, wait for the express

The airport publishes a journey time toward A1 of 39 minutes by express and 53 minutes by commuter. In the opposite direction, A1 to Terminal 1 takes about 35 minutes by express or 49 minutes by commuter; Terminal 2 takes about 39 or 52 minutes. These times and the NT$160 A1–airport fare appear in the airport’s official Airport MRT table.

Express and commuter services each normally run every 15 minutes and are staggered, producing a train about every seven to eight minutes. Because the express saves around 14 minutes of travel time to A1, it will ordinarily reach central Taipei before a commuter leaving several minutes earlier. Taoyuan Metro explains the normal pattern in its service FAQ.

A1 is useful for hotels around Taipei Main Station and for connections within the larger station complex. Ximending and Zhongshan require an onward walk or metro connection, so allow additional time beyond the Airport MRT journey itself.

For A3, the direction matters

From the airport to A3 New Taipei Industrial Park, take the express. The airport’s published comparison is about 29 minutes by express and 42 minutes by commuter, so waiting for the following express usually pays off under the normal alternating timetable.

From A1 to A3, however, the same table gives about nine minutes by express and ten by commuter. In that direction, take whichever train is leaving first.

A3 provides a connection to the New Taipei Metro Circular Line.

For A8, take the first train

Both services stop at A8 Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The airport publishes travel times of about 16 minutes by express and 21 minutes by commuter for the airport-to-A8 comparison. A commuter that is ready to leave should therefore arrive before an express following roughly seven or eight minutes later.

The same principle generally works from Taipei: the published A1-to-A8 times are 21 minutes by express and 28 minutes by commuter, almost the same as the normal gap between departures. Check the platform display and take the first suitable train rather than waiting automatically.

For a station the express skips, take the commuter

Use the commuter for:

• A2 Sanchong
• A4–A7, including Xinzhuang, Taishan and National Taiwan Sport University
• A9–A11, including Linkou, Shanbi and Kengkou

A direct commuter is the simplest choice. If an express arrives first, let it go and board the next commuter.

Beyond Terminal 2, check the destination

Stations from A14a Airport Hotel onward are on the Taoyuan and Zhongli side of the airport, away from Taipei. Commuter trains serve every station.

Selected extended express trains continue beyond the terminals to A18 Taoyuan HSR Station and A21 Huanbei. Regular expresses do not. Taoyuan Metro identifies extended expresses separately in its official timetable legend.

For A18 or A21, take a commuter unless the display shows an extended express serving your stop. For A14a, A15–A17, A19–A20 or A22 Laojie River, use the commuter.

Fares and tickets are the same

Taoyuan Metro states directly that express and commuter fares are identical. A standard single-journey ticket is valid, as are EasyCard, iPASS and icash 2.0 electronic tickets listed in the operator’s ticket FAQ.

At the platform, confirm both the train type and direction:

• Toward Taipei: look for A1 Taipei Main Station.
• From Taipei to the airport: both train types serve A12 Terminal 1 and A13 Terminal 2.
• Beyond the airport: check the destination and stop pattern rather than assuming every express continues past A13.

The alternating pattern is less uniform near the start and end of service. For an early flight or late arrival, use the platform display or the official A12 station timetable.

Short rule from the airport: express for A1 or A3, first train for A8, and commuter for every stop the regular express skips.