The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) plans to renovate some of its express train carriages to offer cabins designed for families with small children.
The TRA said that it will renovate 22 cabins on its push-pull trains to accommodate families with children.
Ticket prices for cabin seats will be the same as those for other express train seats, the TRA said, although children under six and shorter than 115cm would be charged half the regular fare.
Each cabin will have 12 seats, the TRA said, adding that it expects the demand for the seats to be high.
The cabins would have a restroom, as well as a nursery for mothers who need to breastfeed their children, the TRA’s design showed.
There would be four rows of seats in each cabin, with each row having two seats on one side and one seat on the other side, the TRA said, adding that the cabins would also have benches, low tables and space for strollers.
The cabins would be decorated with child-friendly themes, but they would not have recreation areas due to safety reasons, it said.
The TRA estimated the renovation will cost about NT$95 million (US$3.12 million), adding that they would be completed by the first half of 2019.
The first cabin would be ready next month and might be put in service in the second half of this year, the TRA said.
Asked if families can access the cabin even if they do not purchase tickets in advance, the TRA said that passengers can book cabin seats as long as seats are available.
Some netizens voiced concerns that the cabins would be occupied mainly by parents who buy express train tickets and not cabin tickets, while others said that passengers without reservations might try to seek standing room in the cabins.
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