TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan High Speed Rail sold a record 700,000 tickets within the first hour of Lunar New Year sales on Friday.

The Lunar New Year holiday runs from Feb. 14 to 22, per CNA. The railway has planned an 11-day schedule from Feb. 13 to 23, adding 395 extra trains, including 170 southbound and 225 northbound, totaling 2,162 train services.

Ticket purchases during the first hour after midnight were 40,000 more than last year. The railway adjusted its reservation system in advance to accommodate up to 38,400 users online simultaneously. 

Within four minutes of opening, 58,000 tickets were booked, and by 12 minutes, 172,000 were reserved. By 32 minutes, over 374,000 tickets had been booked. 

By 8 a.m., bookings reached 826,000, an increase of 92,000 from last year’s 734,000, marking a 12.5% surge. The railway continues to monitor sales across all platforms to ensure smooth booking for passengers.

Passengers are encouraged to travel during off-peak periods. During the 11 days, 617 trains and over 84,000 seats are available through its early-bird discount program, offering limited-time discounts of 50%, 20%, or 10%.