Starting next month, Taroko and Puyuma Express trains are to transport west coast passengers to Kaohsiung and Pingtung, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said.
The two express trains are mainly used to carry passengers heading to the east coast. When they are used on the west coast, the service ends in Changhua County.
When the new Taroko Express and Puyuma Express trains are added to services, the administration said that it is scheduled to increase the number of trains running on both the east and west coasts on April 21.
The number of Taroko or Puyuma Express trains destined for the east coast is to increase from 106 to 118 per week.
On the west coast, the new train services are scheduled to travel south to Kaohsiung and Pingtung, the TRA said, adding that two train services would be traveling between Taipei and Chaozhou stations daily.
They are also to be dispatched as half-express trains between Changhua and Hualien via Taipei, the TRA said.
The addition of the new express trains is expected to intensify pricing competition for passengers on the west coast.
A ticket for the Puyuma Express costs NT$843 from Taipei to Kaohsiung, whereas a ticket from Taipei to Pintung costs NT$891.
The traveling time is estimated at three hours 40 minutes and four hours, respectively.
By contrast, a high-speed rail ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung’s Zuoying (左營) costs NT$1,490. People going further to Pingtung must switch to a TRA train, which costs an extra NT$43.
The traveling time varies from 96 minutes to 138 minutes, depending on the number of stops the train makes en route.
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