The rail link between downtown Taipei and Taoyuan International Airport officially opens tomorrow (2 March 2017), more than a decade after construction started.

The new Airport MRT runs for 53km from Taipei Main Station to Zhongli Station in the Taoyuan district, with 24 stops including four at the airport – Terminals 1, 2, 3 and the airport hotel – and Taipei’s high-speed railway station.

Passengers flying with China Airlines and EVA Air from Taoyuan Airport will be able to check-in at the station in downtown Taipei and have their baggage transported separately to the airport. The journey from Taipei Main Station to Taoyuan Airport will take approximately 35 minutes.

The airport rail project has been a long time coming; construction work originally began back in September 2006, but the project has been plagued by setbacks.

Initially, the Airport MRT will operate daily from 6am to 11pm. Tickets will be offered at a 50% discount of TW$80 (approx. US$2.60) in the first month of operations, before moving to the full price of TW$160 on 2 April 2017.