A single-day record of 338,000 passengers rode the high-speed rail (HSR) on Sunday, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp said on Monday, leading to wait times of more than two hours for some standing passengers.
The next-highest volume since the HSR began operations in 2007 was on Sept. 15, 2019, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when 318,250 passengers rode the HSR, the railway operator said.
Nearly 1.01 million passengers were served over the four-day holiday from Thursday last week to Sunday, it said.
Photo provided by a reader, via CNA
Six additional trains with entirely open seating were added, serving an additional 10,000 passengers, it added.
Lines for northbound trains at Taichung HSR Station on Sunday extended from the second to the first floor, with some passengers waiting longer than two hours.
The HSR company apologized for the wait times caused by large travel volumes, and thanked passengers for their understanding.
The congestion led to concerns about the upcoming four-day Double Ten National Day next weekend, particularly as Taichung is to host this year’s fireworks display.
The company vowed to continue to improve crowd control to ensure safe and orderly travel, while urging passengers to pick up tickets and arrive at the station early.
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