The Taipei Metro (臺北捷運), which everyone calls the MRT, is the best way to see the city. Trains run from 06:00 to midnight, fares start at NT$20, and every station has a color and a code that make it simple to find your way. We lived in Taipei for years and still think the MRT is the city's best feature: amazing, and so convenient.
- Hours 06:00 to 24:00 daily (last trains vary by station)
- Fares from NT$20, by distance
- Pay with EasyCard, iPASS or icash; a single-journey token; or a contactless bank card or phone wallet
- Kids under 6 (or under 115 cm) ride free with a paying adult, up to four per adult
The lines
Each line has a name, a color and a letter code. Stations are numbered along the line, so Taipei Main Station is R10 on the Red Line and BL12 on the Blue Line. Signs give the line and the end station of each direction.
| Line | Color and code | Runs between |
|---|---|---|
| Wenhu Line (文湖線) | Brown, BR | Taipei Zoo (BR01) and Nangang Exhibition Center (BR24), via Songshan Airport (BR13) |
| Tamsui-Xinyi Line (淡水信義線) | Red, R | Tamsui (R28) and Guangci/Fengtiangong (R01), via Taipei 101/World Trade Center (R03); branch from Beitou to Xinbeitou (R22A) |
| Songshan-Xindian Line (松山新店線) | Green, G | Songshan (G19) and Xindian (G01); branch from Qizhang to Xiaobitan (G03A) |
| Zhonghe-Xinlu Line (中和新蘆線) | Orange, O | Nanshijiao (O01) and either Huilong (O21) or Luzhou (O54), splitting at Daqiaotou (O12) |
| Bannan Line (板南線) | Blue, BL | Dingpu (BL01) and Nangang Exhibition Center (BL23), via Ximen (BL11) and Taipei Main Station (BL12) |
| Circular Line (環狀線) | Yellow, Y | Dapinglin (Y07) and New Taipei Industrial Park (Y20), run by New Taipei Metro |
The Orange Line is the one to watch: north of Daqiaotou its trains alternate between the Huilong and Luzhou branches, so check the destination on the platform screen before you board.
Hours and frequency
The lines run from 06:00 to 24:00. The last train from any given station can leave earlier than midnight, so check your station's last train time on the Taipei Metro site or the Go! Taipei Metro app if you are out late. On the Brown Line, for example, trains come every 2 to 4 minutes at weekday rush hours, every 4 to 10 minutes at other times, and about every 12 minutes after 23:00. On big event nights the Metro sometimes runs later at the stations nearest the action, and announces it in advance.
Fares and how to pay
- Single-journey token. Buy one from the ticket machines for each trip. It is valid on the day you buy it only.
- EasyCard, iPASS or icash. A stored value card charges the same fare as a token, but saves the queue and works on buses and YouBike too. Since January 3, 2026, riders who pay full fare with one also get cashback the following month: 5% after 11 to 20 trips in a month, 10% after 21 to 40, and 15% above that. → EasyCard and iPASS
- Your own bank card or phone. Since July 1, 2026 the gates accept contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover and Diners Club cards, and Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Card and phone rides do not count toward the frequent rider cashback.
- Day passes. A One-Day Pass (NT$150) covers unlimited MRT rides until the end of service that day, and a 24-hour pass costs NT$180. Both cover the Taipei Metro and the Circular Line, but not buses or the Maokong Gondola, and are sold at station information counters.
Transfer from the MRT to a bus within an hour on a stored value card and an adult saves NT$8 on the second ride.
Good to know: children's discounts on the MRT are tied to Taipei and New Taipei children's cards. A visiting child aged 6 and over pays the same fare as an adult, even on a concession EasyCard.
How to ride
- Find your line and the end station of the direction you want. The station code tells you which way to go: on the Red Line toward Tamsui, the numbers go up.
- Tap your card, phone or token on the gate reader on the way in, and again on the way out. Tokens go in the slot when you leave.
- Queue at the markings on the platform, let people off first, and move inside the car.
- Keep an eye on the time in the paid area: you have up to two hours between entering one station and leaving another, and 15 minutes if you leave by the same station. Go over and the gates charge the minimum fare on top.
The rules (yes, the water bottle too)
The one that catches visitors out: no eating, drinking, chewing gum or betel nut in the MRT's no food or drink areas, which means inside the gates and on the trains. Under the Mass Rapid Transit Act the fine is between NT$1,500 and NT$7,500, the same range that applies to holding the train doors. Keep snacks and drinks sealed in your bag until you are back out through the gates.
- No smoking anywhere on the system.
- Priority seats. Give your seat to people with disabilities, older passengers, pregnant passengers and anyone with young children.
- Escalators. The official rule: hold the handrail and stand firm, and no running or walking against the direction. The Metro has been trying to change the habit, but in practice most people still stand on the right and walk up on the left. It varies from station to station, so as you step on, watch what the locals around you do and follow the crowd. With bags or big luggage, take the elevator: there is always one.
- Line up, and don't cut. Taipei queues neatly, at the platform markings, at the escalators and at the elevators. Join the end of the line.
- Luggage. Any single item can be up to 165 cm on its longest side, with length, width and height adding up to no more than 220 cm.
- No sitting on the floor, and no skateboards, roller skates or folding push scooters.
- Pets travel in a closed carrier, one per passenger. Guide dogs are welcome.
The Airport MRT is a different railway
The purple Taoyuan Airport MRT runs from Taipei Main Station to Taoyuan Airport, but it is a separate system run by Taoyuan Metro, with its own fares and its own station, A1. Most Taipei MRT passes don't cover it, though your EasyCard does. → Getting to Taipei from the airport
→ The Maokong Gondola, also run by Taipei Metro, from Taipei Zoo Station (Brown Line, BR01).
Night markets by MRT: NightMarket.tw lists every Taipei night market with its nearest MRT station, and its open tonight list shows which ones are running this evening.
Sources: Taipei Metro routes and service hours, station list, Metro tickets, Frequent Passenger Program, travel pass guide and Metro etiquette; Regulations for Use of the Taipei Metro System (amended February 2026); Focus Taiwan on credit card and phone payments (June 30, 2026). Checked October 2026.