Friday train tickets are the hardest to buy！ Taiwan Railways implements differential pricing； High-Speed Rail：Please book early

▲ The Puyuma train is always in high demand because it drastically reduces travel time from Taipei to eastern and northeastern Taiwan. (Photo／by reporter Yu Ruru)

Travel Center／Comprehensive Report

Have you ever had the following experience：Whenever a long holiday approaches and you try to book a ticket home, even after waiting a long time at your computer or at a ticket machine, in the end you still can’t get a ticket—whether from Taiwan Railways or the High-Speed Rail? According to a recent spot check by the Consumers’ Foundation on both railways (Taiwan Railways and High-Speed Rail), Taiwan Railways’ Puyuma trains and the High-Speed Rail’s early-bird tickets are the hardest to grab on Fridays. In response, Taiwan Railways stated that it has already implemented countermeasures.

The Consumers’ Foundation today released the results of its spot check on ticket bookings for Taiwan Railways’ Puyuma trains and the High-Speed Rail’s early-bird tickets, finding that tickets on Fridays are the hardest to book. The booking success rate for the Puyuma train from Taipei to Hualien is only 27%； Meanwhile, the High-Speed Rail’s 65% discounted early-bird tickets for southbound trips on Fridays are also extremely hard to come by.

In response to the survey results, the Taiwan Railways Administration stated that, to address the difficulty of booking Puyuma trains during peak hours, it will increase transport capacity by adding extra trains and cars on holidays； It will also step up efforts to crack down on ticket scalpers； Additionally, starting August 15, passengers with three records of failed ticket pick-ups within a three-month period will be suspended for six months, in order to eliminate false demand for ticket bookings.

In addition, Taiwan Railways also announced that starting September 1, it will implement differential pricing, with all diesel-powered Tze-Chiang Limited Express trains receiving a uniform 3% discount, and is considering canceling the return ticket discount for Puyuma trains, as well as group and member discounts for Puyuma trains.

▲ Taiwan High-Speed Rail. (Photo／by reporter Chen Ruizhong)

The High-Speed Rail stated that early-bird promotions vary by train service, and some peak-hour services do not offer the 65% early-bird discount. Taking the summer peak season of July and August as an example, 821 early-bird discounted services are offered each week, with nearly 60% of those services eligible for the 65% early-bird discount. There are 100 services eligible for the early-bird discount on Fridays, of which 40% offer a limited number of 65% discounted early-bird tickets.

Due to high demand for holiday ticket bookings, the High-Speed Rail also advises passengers to make their purchases as early as possible once their travel plans are confirmed, to avoid missing out. Since quantities are limited, the earlier you book, the more likely you are to secure a 65% discounted early-bird ticket. (News source：Central News Agency)