My Love-Hate Relationship with Taipei Main Station

I love Taipei Main Station and I hate it.

My parents’ apartment in Taipei is my home base when I return from the United States each summer. And because I frequently take public transportation to go between Taipei and other parts of Taiwan, I often pass through Taipei Main Station.

The station connects me to just about everywhere. I transfer there between the MRT’s Blue and Red lines, take the TRA to Hualien to visit family, catch the high-speed rail to see friends in other cities, and use the Airport MRT to get to and from the airport.

So I have reasons to appreciate it. But there are also parts I really do not like.

The TRA platforms are narrow. When a train is coming and people move forward with their luggage, there is not much room between you and the edge. I have stood there many times and thought about how little space there actually is. It does not feel safe.

The TRA waiting areas in summer are worse. The air conditioning is not strong enough, so they bring in large standing fans. But the air those fans push around is hot. You sit there with warm air blowing on your face and you are still sweating.

This is the part that bothers me most, and not only for myself.

Foreign travelers heading to Hualien or Taitung almost certainly pass through Taipei Main Station. For many, this is their first real experience with train travel in Taiwan. And the impression it gives is not a good one.

Then there is the taxi queue outside.

I understand the situation from the drivers’ side. They wait in line for a long time before their turn comes, so of course they hope for a longer fare. If your destination is close by, that whole wait was for very little money. I get it.

But understanding it does not change how they treat you. I have had drivers turn hostile the moment I said where I was going. Some of them will scold you.

So for the past few years, I have stopped taking the queue taxis at that station. I pay more and call an Uber instead. It costs extra, and I have decided I am fine with that.

But I genuinely like parts of it too.

The second floor has so many eating options. I can enjoy a proper meal before catching my train or after getting back to Taipei. My favorite restaurants there are Dim Dim Sum (點點心), Spicy Noodle (銷魂麵鋪), Hamachou (日本橋兵町食事處), and a Taiwanese food court.

I also usually buy something to take home. On the first floor, there are countless souvenir options. There’s a Japanese brand called Minamoto Kitchoan (源吉兆庵), and my family likes their jellies and Japanese sweets. I can pick up a few boxes before getting on the train.

Over the years, I have developed my own routine at Taipei Main Station. Eat upstairs. Pick up some sweets downstairs. Then go to the platform.

I still do not love everything about Taipei Main Station. But after using it year after year, I have figured out how to make it work for me.

And maybe that is what happens when a place becomes part of your life. You stop expecting it to be perfect. You just learn how to live with it.