Taiwan Railway to increase train service in June

Taipei, May 5 (CNA) Taiwan Railway Corp. (TR) said Monday that it will start operating more trains on several routes from June 26, after the completion of work on some key infrastructure.

On the Eastern Trunk Line, two additional Tze-Chiang Express trains will be put into service, following completion of the rebuilt Xiaoqingshui Bridge between Heren and Chongde stations in Hualien County, the state-run company said in a statement.

The bridge was rebuilt after one of the two train tracks was destroyed during Typhoon Gaemi in August 2024, and the resumption of the dual-track operation last December has helped cut travel time between Taipei and Hualien, the company said.

The new service that starts on June 26 will connect Shulin Station in New Taipei and Taitung Station, stopping only in Taipei and Hualien, Taiwan Railway said.

Two new Tze-Chiang Express (3000) services will also be added to the schedule on the Western Trunk Line on Saturdays between Qidu in the northern city of Keelung and the central country of Changhua, according to the statement.

That will mean additional passenger capacity on the direct services between Taipei, Fengyuan, and Taichung in central Taiwan, the train operator said.

Moreover, two carriages will be added to the 22 local trains that run between Keelung and Hsinchu stations in northern Taiwan, giving each of them 10 carriages, TR said.

It said a new local train service will be launched between Zhongli in Taoyuan and Qidu in Keelung, operating only in the morning.

With all the new services, local train capacity in northern Taiwan will increase overall by 4.4 percent, and 10.3 percent during the morning rush hour, the company said.

Similar capacity increases are also planned for 18 local train services in central Taiwan, after the completion of a project to lengthen platforms to accommodate 10 carriages instead of eight on the local trains, Taiwan Railway said.

In addition, the routes of two Semi Express services between Qidu and Changhua will be extended to Xinzuoying in Kaohsiung on weekends and public holidays, boosting the overall local train capacity by 5.8 percent, the company said.

In total, 386 train services will run on the new revised schedules, TR said.

The new timetables will soon be listed on Taiwan Railway's website, and group travelers can book tickets for the new services with effect from May 23, while general ticket sales will begin on May 29, the company said.