Taiwan High Speed Rail has partnered with its holiday travel packages to launch the “Magic Theater Family Train,” inviting theater troupes to interact with passengers using light, shadows, magic, and more during the journey. The service will officially commence during the July summer vacation, with one weekly Saturday train from Nangang to Zuoying, offering 150 family seats. A total of 1,350 seats will be available over nine weekends. Tickets can now be purchased through nine authorized high-speed rail travel agencies.
At the press conference for the “Magic Theater Family Train” held today (2nd), THSR Chairman Chiang Yao-chung mentioned that since the launch of family carriages in 2001, the service has received positive feedback. To cater to the long-distance, fast-travel needs of families, this year’s edition has been expanded. Leveraging technological audiovisual equipment along with performances by theater groups, a summer-exclusive Magic Theater Family Train has been created to enhance the journey. Moving forward, THSR will continue to develop Taiwan’s domestic tourism market, support the revitalization of the country’s tourism industry, and establish a high-speed rail-based tourism network.
Legislator Lee Kun-tse, who attended the press conference, said that both Taiwan’s high-speed and conventional railways have introduced family-focused carriages this year. He praised THSR for collaborating with travel operators to design exclusive family package tours and expressed hope that THSR would further develop dedicated family carriages in the future.
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The high-speed rail "Magical Theater Family Train" will depart during the summer vacation in July and August, every Saturday on train No. 813, leaving Nangang Station at 9:00 AM. It will make stops at all stations along the way. A total of 150 seats are available in Cars 1 and 2, offering 1,350 spots over nine weekends. Passengers can purchase tickets through nine authorized high-speed rail travel agencies including EasyTravel, Lion Travel, CanStar, Kangfu, Southeast, Ezfly, Mountain Rich, Phoenix, and Flyer. They can choose between the "E-DA Sky Resort & Hape Ecoland Two-Day Tour" or the "Caoya Boulevard, Pier-2 Art Center, and Kaohsiung MRT Two-Day Relaxing Tour."
High-speed rail officials noted that the most unique feature of the "Magical Theater Family Train" package is that each outbound trip includes the world’s first-ever magical theater performance aboard a high-speed train. Children’s drama troupes present captivating magic shows, clown performances, and puppetry, bringing to life well-known fairy tales and characters. Coupled with special light and shadow projection effects, the train cars are transformed into forests, oceans, deserts, and starry skies. Passengers feel as if they are traveling over mountains and seas on a magical train, listening to wonderful stories, and experiencing an incredible journey of light and shadow throughout the ride.
The "Magical Theater Family Train" package includes round-trip high-speed rail tickets. For example, departing from Taipei, the "E-DA Sky Resort & Hape Ecoland Two-Day Tour" for families (one adult and one child) is only NT$8,780, while the "Caoya Boulevard, Pier-2 Art Center, and Kaohsiung MRT Two-Day Relaxing Tour" is offered at a discounted family rate of NT$6,410. In addition, every participant receives a family snack box, and commemorative photo frames are provided onboard. Train attendants will take instant photos using Polaroid cameras, and passengers can take their Polaroid photos and paper photo frames home as mementos of the trip.
High-speed rail officials stated that the "High-Speed Rail Holiday" website features a dedicated "Family Fun Vacation Zone," offering a variety of one- to three-day travel itineraries suitable for families. Additionally, the fifth car of each high-speed train is equipped with a nursing room, and all train restrooms include baby changing tables. The accessible restrooms also feature baby seats to better accommodate family travel.