Overview
Kaohsiung Metro (高雄捷運; Gāoxióng Jiéyùn) is the rapid transit and light rail system serving the Kaohsiung metropolitan area in southern Taiwan. It opened in 2008 and is run by the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation (KRTC; 高雄捷運公司) under a build–operate–transfer contract with the Kaohsiung City Government. The network combines two underground-heavy metro lines — the Red Line and the Orange Line — with a street-level Circular Light Rail, and it is complemented by city buses, feeder buses, public bicycles and harbour ferries.
Riding it end to end as a visitor is straightforward. Plan your route using the system map (the Red Line links the airport, the high-speed rail station and the main railway station; the Orange Line crosses the city east–west), then enter a station and either buy a single-journey ticket from a vending machine or service counter, or tap a stored-value card on the gate. On the metro you tap in on entry and, with a single ticket, insert it at the gate on exit; on the light rail you tap your card on the platform reader both when entering and when leaving. Transfers between the Red and Orange lines at Formosa Boulevard require no extra ticket, while moving between the light rail and the metro means exiting and paying a separate fare. Trains are clean, quiet and wheelchair-friendly, and stations connect well to city bus lines for the final leg of your journey.
The network
The metro proper consists of two lines with 38 stations covering about 42.7 km; 27 stations are underground, nine elevated and two at ground level, and all underground stations have full-height platform screen doors. Trains are three-car sets based on the Siemens Modular Metro design, with LED displays and automated announcements in Mandarin, Taiwanese and English. The system uses Tongyong Pinyin-derived romanizations, so spellings on signs may differ from what you expect.
- Red Line (紅線; Hóng Xiàn) — the north–south artery, roughly 28.3 km with 24 stations. It runs from Siaogang District in the south past Kaohsiung International Airport, Sanduo Shopping District, Central Park and Kaohsiung Main Station, then on through Zuoying (where it connects with the high-speed rail station) to Nanzih, Ciaotou and Gangshan. It is your key line for the airport, the HSR terminal and the main railway station.
- Orange Line (橘線; Jú Xiàn) — the east–west line, about 14.4 km with 14 stations, from Sizihwan in the west through the Love River area and downtown to Fengshan and Daliao in the east. It meets the Red Line at Formosa Boulevard Station, the system's main interchange.
- Circular Light Rail (環狀輕軌; Huánzhuàng Qīngguǐ) — a ground-level tram-style loop with 38 stations, completed as a full circle in January 2024. It links MRT stations with attractions such as the Pier-2 Art Center, Dream Mall and the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, running both clockwise and anti-clockwise. Because it runs at street level it sometimes stops for traffic, and you must watch for vehicles when crossing to the platform.
- City buses and feeder buses — the metro stations are all well connected to city bus lines, and feeder buses bridge gaps in the metro network. Buses display their number and destination on the exterior, show stops on LED signs and announce them in multiple languages.
- YouBike 2.0 public bicycles — available 24 hours a day, with stations near MRT stops, universities, business areas and parks; unlock with a stored-value card or the official app.
- Ferries — Kaohsiung is a harbour city and boats bring you directly into the city; the harbour and Cijin Island are part of the local transport picture.
Tickets & fares
Fares are distance-based and approximate — always check current prices before you travel, as they change. Reported single-journey fares range from about NT$20 for the shortest trips (roughly 1–3 km) to NT$35–50 for medium journeys such as the full Red Line, up to about NT$60 for the longest cross-line trips, with a general range of roughly NT$20–65. A one-day pass costs around NT$150 for unlimited rides. Students get a discount (reported as about 20% with a student ID, and student cards that double as EasyCards apply the discount automatically on all metro and light rail lines), while senior and disabled tickets are reported at about 50% off.
You can buy single-journey tickets and day passes at vending machines and service counters in every station. For tap-to-ride, the ticket gates accept iPASS, EasyCard, contactless MasterCard debit and credit cards, UnionPay credit cards, and LINE Pay QR codes (if your LINE Pay account is registered outside Taiwan, set the QR screen to Taiwan to generate a locally valid code). There are two separate contactless readers at the gates: the lower one is for iPASS and EasyCard, the newer upper one for bank cards. A promotion has offered MasterCard holders 30% off weekend rides when paying with a contactless MasterCard.
On the light rail there are no gates: tap your card on the scanner outside the station or inside the train when entering and again when leaving. Inspections are random, and fare evasion carries a fine of 50 times the fare, plus a NT$1,500–7,500 fine if you refuse inspection. Light rail fares are the same as the metro, but a light rail–metro transfer means exiting and paying separately. On buses you can pay with an e-ticket (EasyCard, iPASS or iCash) or with NT$12 in cash — no change is given — tapping on boarding and alighting.
From the airport
Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH) sits about 20 minutes south of the city centre and is directly on the Red Line of the metro, so the train is the simplest way into town. Simply follow the signs from the arrivals hall to the metro and ride north towards Kaohsiung Main Station and the city core; the Red Line also continues to Zuoying, where it connects with the high-speed rail station. The airport is likewise easily reached by taxi, car or scooter. If you are arriving via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport instead, take the high-speed rail south to Zuoying (about 2 hours) and connect to the city centre on the Red Line — a metro ride of roughly NT$20–25 — or by ordinary train, bus or taxi (about NT$250–350).
Etiquette & customs
- Queuing — wait behind the platform markings and let passengers off before boarding; the system is orderly and locals expect you to line up.
- Escalators — stand on one side and leave the other side free for people walking past.
- Quiet and priority seating — keep carriages clean and quiet, and yield the priority seats to elderly, pregnant and disabled passengers.
- No eating, drinking or smoking — eating, drinking, smoking and chewing gum are not allowed on the metro or buses.
- Rush hour — trains can be crowded at peak times; move into the carriage rather than blocking doors, and keep bags close.
- On the light rail — it runs in the street, so watch for traffic and follow station instructions when crossing to and from the platform.
- On buses — wave to signal the driver to stop, check the number and destination before boarding, and press the stop button before your stop.
Official links
Survival terms
- 捷運 (jiéyùn) — metro / MRT
- 票 (piào) — ticket
- 線 (xiàn) — line
- 入口 (rùkǒu) — entrance
- 出口 (chūkǒu) — exit
- 轉乘 (zhuǎnchéng) — transfer
- 單程票 (dānchéng piào) — single-journey fare / ticket
- 一日票 (yīrì piào) — one-day pass
Before you set out each day, check the official operator's site or a transit app for current fares and the last-train times, since metro service stops around 23:30 on the Orange Line and as late as 00:30 on the Red Line.