Prevent Spring Festival overcrowding! High-speed rail adds 5 non-reserved carriages; tickets for Feb. 28 go on sale Jan. 30

▲ High-speed rail train. (Photo / Reporter Zhou Chen-geng)

Reporter Lai Wen-xuan / Taipei reporting

Many people choose to travel or return home by high-speed rail during holidays or special vacation periods. Originally, there were three non-reserved carriages, but since three new stations were added last December, the overall passenger volume on the high-speed rail has surged, leading to overcrowded non-reserved carriages that affect the riding experience. High-Speed Rail CEO Zheng Guangyuan stated that this Spring Festival will see the debut of 91 “five non-reserved carriage” trains to prevent overcrowding.

▲ High-speed rail will launch trains with five non-reserved carriages during this Spring Festival holiday. (Photo / Reporter Lai Wen-xuan)

The high-speed rail explained that its trains have a total of 12 carriages, with the last three designated as non-reserved. However, since the opening of the three new stations, passenger volume has surged, and non-reserved carriages become excessively crowded during peak hours. In consideration of rider comfort, the high-speed rail will launch 91 trains with five non-reserved carriages for the first time this Spring Festival, allowing passengers to return home without having to stand.

▲ High-speed rail platform. (Photo / Reporter Zhou Chen-geng)

The high-speed rail also noted that in addition to deploying trains with five non-reserved carriages, it will flexibly add fully non-reserved trains based on daily ridership conditions to help transport passengers.

▲ Early bird tickets for the Feb. 28 holiday go on sale. (Photo / Reporter Zhou Chen-geng)

In addition, with the three-day Peace Memorial Day holiday coming up, Taiwan High-Speed Rail is enhancing service to meet increased demand for both travel and returning home. From Feb. 26 (Friday) to March 1 (Tuesday), it plans a “Peace Memorial Day Transport Operation,” adding 115 extra train services. Over the five days, a total of 795 services will be provided, including 59 southbound and 56 northbound, offering 795 train services overall. During the operation period, “college student discounts” and “early bird discounts” will be available, and 3 to 5 non-reserved carriages will be arranged per service depending on demand. Passengers can start purchasing round-trip tickets for the Peace Memorial Day transport period all at once beginning at midnight on Jan. 30 (Saturday).