Ridership on the Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) system on Sunday fell about 60 percent following a surge in locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in Taipei and New Taipei City, the agency said yesterday.
About 200,000 people on Sunday used the TRA system, down from an average of 640,000 people on a regular weekend, Taipei Railway Station Master Tu Wei-ting (涂維庭) said.
TRA estimated a 50 percent decline in ridership during the peak morning hours yesterday, the first work day under stricter disease prevention measures.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Overall, passengers observed disease prevention guidelines stipulated by the agency, including no standing passengers on express trains, Tu said, adding that commuter trains were not crowded.
“In addition to on the trains, eating and drinking is banned on platforms and in waiting areas,” he said. “We hope that all passengers comply with the regulations in light of the severity of the outbreak.”
On weekdays, peak hours are typically from 7am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm, Tu said.
The agency would ensure that during those two hours in the morning and in the evening, the number of people on the platforms does not exceed 50 percent of the foot traffic, he said, adding that if the platforms become too crowded, people would be asked to wait at the ticketing gates.
On the platforms, people must observe social distancing guidelines stipulated by the Central Epidemic Command Center, Tu said.
Chien Hsin-li (簡信立), a section chief in the TRA’s transportation safety department, said that the agency’s service and mechanical engineering personnel have been divided into two groups so that they can report to work at different locations to avoid potential cross-infections.
Railway stations are to be disinfected once per hour and trains at least once per day, Chien said, adding that a more thorough disinfection of trains would be conducted every month.
In Taipei and New Taipei City, ridership on the cities’ MRT railway or public bus systems has dramatically declined since the CECC raised the COVID-19 alert for the two municipalities to level 3 on Saturday last week.
From 6am to 9am yesterday, the number of MRT passengers fell 40 percent, compared with the same time last week, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said.
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