Buying train tickets in advance

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jasoninjapan
jasoninjapan

I'm coming to Taipei this Friday and I've decided I'd like to head straight to Hualien. So my plan (thanks to wix99!) is to take a bus to Taipei Station from the airport, and then catch an express train to Hualien.
However, I'm assuming on a Friday late afternoon/early evening, all of those trains will probably be full, so I'd prefer to book my ticket in advance. I've been going through the website (http://railway.hinet.net/), and it looks like I can make a reservation, but I have to go and pay for the ticket at a train station before the date of departure. That's not possible because I won't be in the country until the date of departure. Does that mean that I can't actually purchase a ticket until I get there?
Is anyone aware of a way around this, or do I just have to roll the dice and show up and hope I can get a ticket?

Thanks again, guys,

Jason

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drumbrake
drumbrake

I was able to book online here: http://www.railway.gov.tw/en/index/index.aspx

I didn't use a Taiwan credit card; I think you might have to use IE.

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jasoninjapan
jasoninjapan

Hey drumbrake, were you actually able to purchase tickets from that site, or just reserve them? I went to the link you gave, and then chose "Internet ticketing" and it just took me to the site in my original post. I'm unable to find where I can actually purchase tickets, not only reserve them.
The problem is that I want a ticket for the Friday, but I don't arrive in Taiwan until Friday. The site says that if you reserve tickets, you have to pick them up no later than the day before departure.

Thanks

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drumbrake
drumbrake

I was able to purchase the tickets online for Taiwan railways (not the HSR). I then collected the tickets from the main railway station in Taipei. I'm in Mainland China now so unfortunately cannot access the site, but I think it was in Chinese - so you might need the help of a Chinese speaker to help you navigate the site. I'm pretty sure I reserved the tickets, and then used the reservation number on the online booking page.

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toronto1505
toronto1505

the site is bilingual, and you can book the tickets and pay online, and get the real ticket just before departure from a special counter (internet booking).

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