Taipei MRT Guide: Lines, Fares, Passes and Rules for Visitors

Last verified 25 Oct 2026

Taipei MRT at a glance

Lines and what they connect

Taipei Metro’s own service page names five lines: Tamsui-Xinyi, Songshan-Xindian, Zhonghe-Xinlu, Bannan and Wenhu. The fare table also covers the Circular Line (station codes starting with Y), which is run by New Taipei Metro. Stations carry a letter code and a number. The letters below come from the official fare table.

Line colours are on the official route map. Taipei Metro lists the Wenhu Line as Taipei Zoo to Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, about 48 minutes end to end.

Operating hours

Taipei Metro’s Metro Service page lists Wenhu Line service hours as 06:00 to 24:00. On weekdays, trains run about every 2 to 4 minutes at peak times (07:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 19:30). After 23:00 the gap is about 12 minutes.

Hours and last trains differ by line, direction and station. Use the official First & Last Trains search before you plan a late night, especially if you need a transfer.

How fares work

You pay by distance between the station where you tap in and the station where you tap out. The official bands are:

The Fare & Travel Time Inquiries page links a station-to-station fare table (PDF). Taipei Metro’s note on it says Circular Line fares are set by New Taipei Metro Corporation, so check the table for any trip that uses that line.

Ways to pay

1. Stored-value card. Taipei Metro lists EasyCard, iPASS and iCASH. Tap on entry and again on exit. See our EasyCard guide for how to buy and top up. Taipei Metro says an adult card pays the same as a single-journey ticket, and an adult card gets NT$8 off when transferring between Metro and bus within one hour.
2. Contactless bank card or mobile pay. Taipei Metro lists Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay, Diners Club and Discover, plus Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Place the card on the sensor marked with the Tap to Pay logo. The fare equals a single-journey ticket, and bank-card travel does not get transfer discounts.
3. Single-journey ticket. It costs NT$20 to NT$65 and is valid on the day of issue only. You put it on the sensor to enter and it is retrieved at the exit gate. Seniors, disabled passengers and children get 60% off.
4. Transit QR Code. Some mobile apps can generate a code to scan at the gates, so you need no cash, ticket or card.

At the gate, wait for the piano sound and the green arrow on the screen before you walk through. Taipei Metro says to tap out the same way when you leave.

Tourist passes sold by Taipei Metro

The 24, 48 and 72-hour passes are sold at all Metro station information counters. You choose when to activate them by scanning at the gate, and each pass is valid for one passenger at a time. Taipei Metro also lists other Taipei Fun Pass versions with attraction entry; read the Travel Passes page for those.

Compare the pass price against the fares you expect to pay. If your plans are two or three short rides a day, tapping a card at NT$20 to NT$30 a ride may cost less than a pass.

If you are arriving at the airport first, our Taoyuan Airport to Taipei guide covers the airport MRT. Taipei Metro also links a joint ticket for Taoyuan Airport MRT and Taipei Metro on its home page; check the PDF there for current terms.

How to transfer

Interchange stations have one name and two station codes, one for each line. Some examples:

• Taipei Main Station: R10 and BL12
• Ximen: G12 and BL11
• Zhongshan: R11 and G14
• Dongmen: R07 and O06
• C.K.S. Memorial Hall: R08 and G10
• Daan: R05 and BR09
• Nanjing Fuxing: G16 and BR11
• Zhongxiao Fuxing: BL15 and BR10

To change lines, follow the signs for the line name and the end station of your direction. Fares are worked out from your start and end stations, so a transfer does not mean tapping out. Taipei Metro lists a Metro-to-bus transfer discount for stored-value cards, but says bank cards get no transfer discounts.

Rules that affect visitors

• No eating or drinking. Taipei Metro says: do not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum on the Metro or in stations. Under the official Penalty Standards, eating or drinking in a “no food or drink” area is fined NT$1,500. The fine is NT$4,500 if it pollutes the environment, and NT$7,500 if it causes delays of more than ten minutes or an accident.
• Priority seats. Give your seat to disabled, elderly and pregnant passengers and those with young children.
• Escalators and platforms. Running on escalators or crossing the yellow warning line, after being asked to stop, is fined NT$1,500.
• Hold on. Taipei Metro advises holding the straps or handrails while the train is moving.

Common mistakes

• Buying a pass without checking how many rides you will take.
• Assuming a bank card gets the same transfer discounts as an EasyCard. Taipei Metro says it does not.
• Taking a sip of water on the platform or train. Carrying a drink is fine, but finish it before you go through the gates.
• Relying on one line’s hours for every line. Check the First & Last Trains page for your station.
• Using an old fare chart. Fares and passes change, so check english.metro.taipei before you fly.

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