The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) recently announced that it would spend NT$30 million (US$1 million) this year installing new automatic ticket machines at a handful of railway stations, adding that the new system would allow passengers to choose window or aisle seats.
At present, the administration has automatic ticket machines in 148 stations nationwide. On average, 18,000 passengers purchase tickets using the machines every day. However, they accept only coins and NT$100 bills, and passengers cannot use them to return tickets.
Peng Kun-yen (彭昆炎), chief of the administration’s operations section, said the new ticket machines would allow passengers to pay with a credit card.
In addition to NT$100 bills, Peng said the new machines would also accept NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes.
Change can be returned in coins or in bills, he said.
“When purchasing tickets using the new machines, passengers can choose if they want a window or aisle seat,” Peng said. “They can also use the new machines to return their tickets or transfer to a different train.”
The administration said it initially planned to replace the ticket machines in Taipei, Greater Tai-chung, Greater Kaohsiung, Hualien, Taitung and other main train stations, adding that it would gradually replace all ticket machines nationwide.
In related news, the administration said passengers can now charge their mobile phones at 24 train stations nationwide.
Previously, the free service was available only at Songshan, Banciao, Taichung, Yilan and Taitung stations. The service will now be made available at Keelung, Chidu (七堵), Nangang, Taipei, Shulin (樹林), Taoyuan, Jhungli (中壢), Hsinchu, Chunan (竹南), Miaoli (苗栗), Fongyuan (豐原), Changhua, Yuanlin (員林), Chiayi, Tainan, Kao-hsiung, Xinzuoying (新左營), Luodong (羅東) and Hualien stations.
Passengers can also ask staff for assistance at other stations or aboard trains.
The administration decided to expand the availability of the free phone-charging service after recent media reports that a man was arrested on suspicion of stealing electricity from the Taipei MRT system when he tried to charge his mobile phone at the Tamshui station.
The incident also caused Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) to ask Taipei Rapid Transit Corp to research the possibility of allowing customers to charge their mobile phones at several key MRT stations.
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