Taiwan's railway administration immediately suspended train service while it checked for any possible damage to tracks.
Local TV channels reported that there appeared to be almost no damage in Hualian.
However, it could take some time for the full impact of the quake to be evaluated because of the remoteness of the epicenter.
Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage.
However, a magnitude-7.6 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.
