New high-speed rail (HSR) paper tickets using QR codes and enlarged fonts are on sale from today at ticket counters in Nangang, Banciao and Chiayi stations, before being rolled out nationwide to replace the magnetic-strip system by the end of 2026, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) spokesperson Calvin Yen (顏昭立) said today.
The new ticket is double the size with lettering enlarged 1.5 times for the convenience of elderly passengers, Yeh said.
QR codes are to replace the original magnetic-strip paper tickets, saving 98 percent of the energy originally used per ticket at station barriers, he added.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
According to THSRC statistics, electronic tickets — including periodic tickets, return tickets, EasyCards and i-Passes — were used by HSR passengers a total of 28.11 million times, up 30 percent from 2022, he said.
As HSR tickets become increasingly digitized, the paper tickets have been designed for ease of use for elderly passengers, featuring a clear monochromatic design with a QR code clearly printed on the left-hand side and enlarged characters for important information in the center such as destination and departure time, Yeh said, adding that seating information is displayed on the right side.
The new tickets are to be issued at ticket counters at Miaoli, Tainan and Zuoying stations from Jan. 8, before being sold at all 12 stations on the HSR line in the first half of next year, he added.
As for self-service ticket machines, the new tickets are to be available at machines in Taipei, Taoyuan and Changhua from Wednesday next week, and at Taichung, Hsinchu and Yunlin from Dec. 24, with other stations adding the new tickets to self-service machines beginning in 2026, he said.
Until the end of 2026, both old and new versions of HSR tickets are to be accepted at all stations, he added.
The new design is also a step toward the company’s goal of operating a completely paperless ticketing system, Yeh said.
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