TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan High Speed Rail said it transported 71.1 million passengers through November, exceeding the 66.4 million during the same period a year ago, putting it on track for a record-setting year.
THSR made the comments on Sunday as it announced December as the peak travel season, expressing confidence passenger volume will achieve annual growth. The railway also announced its intention to increase the number of trains to accommodate increased passenger demand, per CNA.
In the railway’s first year of operation in 2007, it transported 15 million passengers, with passenger numbers spiking to 67 million in 2019, followed by two years of fewer riders due to COVID, and rebounding to a record 73 million in 2023.
Looking back on 2024, the railway achieved two major milestones: a historically high single-month record of 6.796 million passengers in March, a 13.5% increase compared to a similar month; and a 224,000 average daily volume in November, a 7% increase compared to the same period last year.
THSR said growing passenger volume is related to several factors such as economic growth, regional development, outward migration from urban areas, and competitiveness in the intercity transportation market.
More riders have led to an increase in passenger seat disputes and passenger complaints about ticket scarcity. THSR said many disputes are caused by communication problems among passengers and are not only associated with overly crowded carriages.
THSR said the current schedule still has room to add additional trains, with scheduling under continual review assessing supply and demand. The railway is planning to add more trains before the end of the year and during the upcoming Lunar New Year.
The railway will also undertake related adjustments to support additional trains, such as adding extra shuttle buses and staff to accommodate more passengers.