The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday unveiled its plan to facilitate transportation over the Lunar New Year holiday, with freeways to be toll-free between 12am and 5am from Feb. 15 to Feb. 20.
Most travelers are heading home at the beginning of the holiday, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said.
“During the holiday, they will likely arrange family tours, which will increase traffic to scenic spots. Toward the end of the holiday, travelers will likely arrange short-distance trips or return to the cities where they work,” Wang said.
“We estimate that the peak day for southbound freeway traffic will be Feb. 17, which is traditionally when married daughters return to their maternal homes,” he said. “However, northbound traffic is expected to peak on Feb. 19, while the overall highest traffic volume should occur on Feb. 18.”
To ease congestion, the National Freeway Bureau is to implement its high-occupancy vehicle policy — which requires at least three people to be traveling in each vehicle — on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1), Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3) and Chiang Wei-shui Freeway (Freeway No. 5).
All drivers are to be charged identical tolls during the holiday, the bureau said, adding that the first 20km will not be free, nor will there be a discount for long-distance travel as on regular days
The bureau said it has also installed 52 eTag readers along some alternative travel routes to collect traffic data and help it calculate estimated travel time, which is to be available on the bureau’s “1968” Web site and app.
The bureau on Monday next week will activate its “UMAGI” application for a one-month trial, which is to help drivers plan routes and times to avoid freeway traffic jams, it said.
Bus tickets can also be booked with the app, it said.
Meanwhile, 356 additional train services on the west and east coasts are to be offered over the holiday, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said, adding that people can start booking tickets on Tuesday next week.
This year, travelers to eastern and southeastern regions can get a 20 percent discount for standing tickets on the Tzuchiang-class express train if the travel distance is more than 80km, the TRA said, adding that the discount is available for trains on Feb. 14, Feb. 15, Feb. 19 and Feb. 20.
Passengers can also reserve seats on commuter express trains between Taipei and Yilan or Hualien, with tickets costing NT$100 and NT$200 respectively.
College students heading to Hualien to Taitung or traveling on the South-Link Line are to receive a 31 percent discount on tickets for designated trains on Feb. 12, Feb. 13, Feb. 21 and Feb. 22, it said.
A 30 percent discount is to be offered for 30 “red-eye” trains on the South-Link Line and east coast, it added.
High-speed rail tickets for peak hours between Feb. 14 and Feb. 20 are sold out, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp said, adding that it is to offer additional train services if needed.
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