Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) yesterday announced that an overhaul of its timetable will take place in conjunction with the inauguration of Nangang (南港) Station in Taipei on July 1.
The number of trips will be reduced from 969 per week to 943 per week, due to an adjustment of train schedules for stations that do not have high passenger occupancy rates during off-peak hours, the company said.
The company is also to increase the number of trains stopping at Taoyuan and Hsinchu stations during rush hours on weekdays to satisfy the needs of passengers commuting to and from Taipei.
The company is to start accepting bookings for the new schedule from Saturday next week.
According to the new time schedule, the fastest express train travel time from Taipei to Kaohsiung is to be shortened from 96 minutes to 95 minutes.
The time for non-express trains are also to be shortened from 138 minutes to 135 minutes.
Direct travel time from Taipei’s Nangang station to Kaohsiung’s Zuoying Station is to be 105 minutes, while non-express trains are to take 145 minutes.
With the addition of Nangang station, the number of stops on the line will increase to 12, the company said.
The adjustments have been made out of consideration for the needs of passengers and the efficiency of the system, the company said.
It has also considered the needs of peak and off-peak hours, morning and evening rush hours, commute and holiday transportation demands, the firm said.
The high-speed rail, which opened in January 2007, originally had eight stations: Taipei, Banciao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan and Zuoying.
According to the new schedule, the number of trains stopping at the eight stations is to increase from 299 per week to 342 per week, averaging two trains per hour at peak times.
However, the number of trains stopping at three other stations on the line — Miaoli, Changhua and Yunlin, which were inaugurated in December last year — will decrease, due to low occupancy rates, the company said.
From July 1, the number of trains stopping at Miaoli station will be cut to 288 from 305 per week, while those stopping at Changhua and Yunlin stations will be cut to 245 from 263 per week, it added.
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