The Sanrio Train has arrived in Taiwan! Launched in January 2025 and replacing the previous Taiwan Disney train, the first Sanrio themed train in Taiwan runs four days a week between Taipei, Hualien, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Chiayi plus many other stops.
This post may contain affiliate links to tours and hotels. These help us earn a small commission at no additional charge to you.
With eight Sanrio character themed carriages (including a karaoke car!) plus drinks, activities and food included, this is one of the best value ways to get around Taiwan with lots of Sanrio-themed fun along the way.
From a Kuromi carriage to My Melody, Pompompurin to Cinnamoroll and Hangyodon, many of your favourite characters featured on the Taiwan Sanrio train (although Hello Kitty doesn’t make an appearance at all).
We rode the Taiwan Formosa Express Sanrio themed train from Kaohsiung to Taipei one night and enjoyed ‘free beers’, amazing sunset views and a Sanrio bento box (‘bian diang’) dinner as part of our ticket price.
From what to expect on board and timetables to how it compares to the former Disney train’, here is our review of Taiwan’s Sanrio Character themed train, known as the Taiwan Formosa Sanrio Express.
You might like – Guide to 10+ Hello Kitty things to do in Taiwan including the Hello Kitty themed 7-Elevens
Taiwan checklist
We love using agoda.com, expedia.com and booking.com for researching and booking all our hotels, and Hostelworld for booking hostels.
For booking tours, transfers and SIM cards/eSIMs we recommend Get Your Guide, Viator, KK Day or Klook. You can also purchase eSIMs from Airalo.
For booking rental cars visit Discover Cars. For private drivers and taxis, check out our Transfer guide >
Check out our Taiwan travel booking resources >
All set for Taiwan? Do one final check with our Taipei first timers guide >
How much does Taiwan’s Sanrio train cost?
As of February 2025, prices for the Taiwan Disney Train start from NT$550 (around £13 or $17 USD) per person, but like normal trains, it depends on the distance you are traveling.
We traveled from Kaohsiung to Taipei one Saturday evening aboard the Sanrio Express and it cost us NT$1,750 each (around $53 USD or £42).
Note that the Sanrio train prices are more expensive on Saturday and Sundays compared to Monday and Friday (the trains do not operate Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday).
This makes the Sanrio Taiwan Formosa Express train prices more expensive than a typical High Speed Railway (HSR) journey plus the journey takes longer.
However, we found the train really quiet and combined with the theming and food / drinks included, we didn’t mind paying the extra for such a unique experience.
Check the Sanrio Character Taiwan train prices and buy your tickets here with Klook >
You might also want to compare prices with Taiwan HSR tickets on Klook, as there is currently a buy 1 get 1 free Taiwan High Speed Rail ticket offer running on Klook, funded by the Taiwan Tourism Administration to increase tourism.
This buy 1 get 1 free HSR ticket offer has now been extended until the end of 2025.
You might like – Our Taipei with kids guide >
Join our Facebook Taiwan Travel Tips (TTT) Group!
Need help with your Taiwan itinerary or have any questions? Head on over to the most fun and fastest growing Taiwan Facebook group with 110,000+ members and ask the experts!
Click here to join our group >
Where does the Taiwan Disney Train / Formosa Express Disney train go?
This is a round-the-island loop train, consisting of around eight themed carriages which stops at over 20 different Taiwan cities and towns every day.
There are two themed Sanrio trains which run concurrently in opposite directions, operating Friday to Monday (4 days a week).
One train goes clockwise around the island (the eastern mainline) and another train goes anti-clockwise (the western mainline).
If your travel plans are on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, you won’t be able to board the Sanrio train, and will need to jump on a local TRA train or HSR train instead.
The 2025 Taiwan Sanrio western mainline train departs Taipei daily at 6.22am and returns at 7.29pm.
The Sanrio Character eastern mainline train departs Taipei at 8.10am and returns at 9.44pm.
Key Taiwan cities included as part of the Disney train include Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan, Chiayi and Hsinchu.
You might like – Our first timer’s guide to Taipei and Taiwan including the best Taipei neighborhoods to stay in
Our experience aboard Taiwan’s Sanrio train
We boarded the Sanrio Character Taiwan Railway Formosa Express at Kaohsiung’s Xinzuoying Station (adjacent to the Kaohsiung HSR station called Zuoying).
We booked our Taiwan Sanrio train tickets via Klook and our tickets arrived via email – they are accessed via a special link sent to your email address.
The tickets are only available to fully view around two hours before – so don’t worry if you still can’t see them a few hours before.
You are allocated a carriage and seats to sit in; you cannot choose which themed carriage to sit in but you are free to roam all parts of the train plus sit in the lounge car in addition to your own allocated seat.
Based on our experience, our own My Melody themed carriage was incredibly quiet with only a handful of people in it – the Kuromi themed car was packed.
To get through the ticket gates, just show your Sanrio train passes on your phone – then look out on the train station departure boards for your allotted departure time.
It will likely say ‘special’ against the train on the station screens. Because riding the Sanrio train is special!
A member of TRA / Sanrio staff greeted us on the platform and showed us to our seat.
We were offered drinks as soon as we boarded and they brought to our seats (included in the ticket price); our bento box dinner was served to our seats a little later on (more on this shortly). Drinks are served in special Sanrio train branded paper cups.
We were carrying a huge suitcase and a 70L backpack and luckily, there was loads of luggage space aboard the Taiwan Sanrio train, both on overhead racks plus dedicated luggage areas. We had the end seats so had a big storage area directly behind our chairs.
You might like – Our 2025 Taiwan events and festivals guides for each month >
Food and drink on the Sanrio train
We were on an afternoon / evening train so we were given a bento box and fruit box for dinner accompanied with a drink (we chose beer and juice).
The bento box had rice and chicken, green veg, an egg, fish cakes, sausage and a few other assorted bits – it was a big bento with Sanrio character theming on the outside!
To be honest, the main food wasn’t to our taste and not as good as the TRA bento boxes you get in the station. The fruit cup was much more to our liking. A cleaning cart also regularly passes through to take your rubbish and empty bento boxes.
Drinks are served by a separate cart that comes around immediately after the dining cart.
The free beers are served in a coffee cup and are poured from cans – alas they don’t give you a full can so this is no booze cruise. To get any more drinks later on, you need to head to the Pompompurin / Cinnamoroll themed dining car.
Soft drinks, tea and coffee are available all day on the Taiwan Sanrio train / Formosa Express but the free beer (‘Happy Hour’) is only available from dinner time onwards (from 6pm to 7.30pm on the western train and 6pm to 9pm on the eastern train).
We managed about three beers – the beer is Taiwan Beer served into a plastic cup from a can so nothing too special – (no Taiwan craft beers here)!
One random aside – the train is quite shaky and wobbly on some parts of the journey; like so much so that your drink slips and slides on the tray. So make good use of those drink holders!
Have we helped you plan your Taiwan trip?
If you would like to say thanks, you might want to buy us (Neil and Caroline from the Taiwanderers) a virtual beer >
Taiwan Sanrio Train themed carriages
As well as several themed seating cars (Kuromi, My Melody and Cinnamoroll), there are several Sanrio themed dining and seating carriages including:
The Kuromi seating carriage
This is probably the best theme carriage for us – it is the best place for good views of Taiwan’s countryside and cities plus has lots of swivel chairs.
The carriage was full of plush red seats and had a small Sanrio photo-booth (costs extra and takes cash) plus Sanrio gachapon / toy capsule machine (one of the two gachapon machines was out of order on our trip).
One thing to note is that compared to the former Disney train we rode in late 2024 (this is the exact same train but with new theming / decor), the level of activities seemed less on the ‘new’ Sanrio train.
Nothing happened in this carriage during our trip other than it being a nice seating area to enjoy views. Our only ‘activity’ (other than the choice to do karaoke) was selecting a ‘black tea blessing capsule’ from a blind box which we could then make in our seats or after the train.
That said, before we got on, a Sanrio-themed embroidery session had taken place between 1pm and 3pm – a list of activities is displayed in the dining carriage and in the photo below.
Love cute cartoon characters? Check out our guide to Bugcat Capoo House and Foam Cat Cafe (both in Taichung), or the Mickey Mouse / Peanuts 7-Elevens in Taipei.
The Sanrio Karaoke Carriage
Yes, you read that right – the Taiwan Sanrio Train / Formosa Express has its own karaoke car!
This was popular with young and old – kids and families descended here to sing songs and it was very much a fun place!
We didn’t sing ourselves (our singing voices aren’t great) and the karaoke song book mainly seemed to be in Mandarin – it is also handily located immediately next to the dining carriage.
You might like – Our guide to Taipei’s 20+ best shopping districts and malls >
Cinnamoroll / Pompompurin Dining Carriage
The other themed carriage was the Sanrio diner – this is where you come to get your free drinks and top-ups after the initial dining cart has come around. You can also purchase souvenir postcards.
Here, you can also pick up a Sanrio ink stamp booklet – grab your free leaflet and get stamping!
There are a few Sanrio sign boards that you can pose with too with that day’s date on – so it is great for some souvenir snaps.
Taiwanderers Email Newsletter!
For travel tips and fun news, make sure you subscribe to our Taiwanderers Taiwan Travel Tips email newsletter! Click here to sign up (you can unsubscribe at any time)
Taiwan Sanrio Train final thoughts
Overall, we really enjoyed our time aboard the Sanrio train, more so because it was a really quiet train and not packed like the HSR / TRA trains (likely because of the higher price).
It was a train trip with a difference and our 5 hour journey sped by; we really enjoyed the special Kuromi seating carriage with amazing views and swivel chairs.
The included food and drink was a bonus (but some of it wasn’t to our taste).
It is mainly a themed train with lots of stickers, interior decals and a few cardboard cut-outs. The novelty of the karaoke carriage and lounge area makes this worthwhile but you can’t help but think they could have done a bit more ‘special’ to bring the Sanrio experience to life.
Book your Taiwan Sanrio train tickets with Klook here >
Other things to know about the Sanrio Train in Taiwan
- There is no smoking aboard.
- Each carriage has toilets and the carriages consist of 360 degree seats – one on the left and two together on the right.
- There are no luggage restrictions and ample space for backpacks and suitcases.
- There are no Sanrio characters / people in suits onboard .
- The Sanrio Trains currently operate Friday to Mondays.
- The last train back into Taipei gets in after 9pm – you may want to consider getting a hotel in Ximending or by Taipei Main Station so you don’t have far to travel after (especially if you enjoyed the ‘free’ beer).
Found our article helpful?
Did you enjoy our blog post? Let us know in the comments or by sharing it on social media.
You can follow Taiwanderers on:
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
Pinterest
Join our Taiwan Travel Tips (TTT) Facebook group >
Drive this train only a limited time?