Are high-speed rail tickets too expensive and hard to get? Netizens complain: they’d rather pay more than take the Taiwan Railways.

Since the high-speed rail began operations, seats have become increasingly hard to book. A netizen posted on PTT lamenting that in the past, high-speed rail tickets were easy to get with plenty of seats available—even during holiday periods. But now, even the free-seating cars are packed on weekends, with crowds standing all the way to the doors. What’s going on? Many netizens agree: the high-speed rail is simply more comfortable, faster, and of higher quality, so they’re willing to spend a bit more to ride it.

According to a post on the PTT Forum, the original poster said, “I remember a few years ago, everyone kept saying high-speed rail tickets were too expensive, so the trains and stations were almost empty and the service was losing money. Now, the price from Taipei to Taichung is only 60 NT dollars cheaper, but way more people seem to choose the high-speed rail. During holidays, it felt like we were scrambling for a Puyuma train...” According to Taiwan High Speed Rail fares, the Taipei to Taichung ticket costs 700 NT dollars; the Taiwan Railways ticket for the same route is 375 NT dollars—a difference of nearly half. Still, many prefer to pay more for the high-speed rail. Numerous netizens commented, “Time is money too,” “The high-speed rail seats are bigger and less likely to cause motion sickness, which is a big draw for those prone to it,” “It doesn’t shake around as much—comfort is much better, so paying extra for the high-speed rail is worth it.”

Taiwan Railways often has strangers taking seats at random. Better to pay more for the comfort of the high-speed rail. (Image from “Bao Fei Gong She”)

Some netizens also said: “Taking the Taiwan Railways is slow and expensive, and they’ll even wake you up for ticket checks—who would want to ride that?” “Strangers often take your seat at random. Better to pay more for the comfort of the high-speed rail.” “Taiwan Railways is packed, full of migrant workers and people taking random seats.” “There are more low-quality passengers on the Taiwan Railways.” It seems that modern travelers value comfort and are willing to pay more just to avoid the frustration and anger caused by lower-quality services.