Welcome to the Taichung Lantern Festival！ Taiwan Railways adds 311 extra services

▲ To help manage the crowds at the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taichung, Taiwan Railways will add 311 extra services. (Photo provided by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications)

Reported by Lin Chieh-ling / Taipei

To accommodate the large crowds visiting the “2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taichung,” Taiwan Railways will operate 291 additional commuter trains between Taichung–Changhua and from Xinyi to Dajia from February 27 to March 15, 2015. From March 6 to 15, a special lantern-themed painted train service will run daily between Songshan and Xinyi (one round trip), bringing the total number of extra services to 311.

Taiwan Railways stated that the peak travel days for crowd management will be from March 5 to 8 and March 13 to 15 (seven days in total), during which all scheduled trains will make additional stops at Xinyi and Fengyuan stations from the first departure until the last train. Additionally, from March 9 to 12 (four days), the same extra stops will apply.

Meanwhile, to make it more convenient for visitors to enjoy the lantern displays, Taiwan Railways will offer a trial multi-card electronic ticketing service in the central region—from Fengyuan and Dajia southward to Yuanlin northward—between February 27 and March 15, 2015. However, these tickets cannot be used across different service zones.

In addition, to coincide with the lantern festival, Taiwan Railways has launched the “2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival One-Day Pass.” Available from March 5 to 15 at Taichung Railway’s Zhunan, Houlong, Tongxiao, Yuanli, Miaoli, Tongluo, Sanyi, Houli, Fengyuan, Taichung, Changhua, Shejhou, Tianzhong, Ershui, and Douliu stations, the regular fare is NT$100 per pass and the discounted fare is NT$50 per pass. The pass is valid only on the day of purchase and allows unlimited rides on all train types between Zhunan and Douliu stations (on both the Mountain and Coastal lines, excluding the Jiji Line), except for Taroko, Puyuma, Tze-Chiang limited express, sightseeing trains, and chartered services.