New THSRC trains may pave way for family cars, senior citizen cards

Taipei, Oct. 6 (CNA) Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp's (THSRC) new trains could pave the way for a pilot program involving family cars and expanded use of senior citizen cards, Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said Tuesday.

During a legislative question-and-answer session, opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker Yu Hao (游顥) asked whether THSRC planned to designate family cars after some parents said they were asked by train staff to calm noisy children and later take them out of the carriage.

Chen said the Ministry of Transportation and Communications had discussed the proposal with THSRC, but noted that space on existing trains is limited.

He added that questions remain over whether children using a designated family car might still move to different cars and disturb other passengers.

Nevertheless, Chen said the idea was "well worth" piloting. Once the first of THSRC's new N700ST trains enter service, currently expected in July 2027, and capacity improves, the ministry will seek to launch a trial as soon as possible, he added.

Three new trains are expected to enter service initially, with 12 scheduled to be deployed by the end of 2028, further increasing capacity, according to the ministry.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) also said that if there is spare capacity available, the government could assess the feasibility of setting aside a dedicated car for families with children on off-peak services.

In a separate exchange, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Chang Hung-lu (張宏陸) urged the government to allow senior citizen cards to be accepted on THSR, after Taiwan Railways began accepting the cards in 2023.

However, Chen said THSR fares are relatively high and a card with a balance of only NT$1,000 (US$31.47), for example, may not cover a fare exceeding that amount.

After Chang noted that the cards can now be topped up, Chen said the ministry had met with THSRC representatives and would move toward allowing the use of senior citizen cards. However, he added that implementation would likely have to wait until additional capacity becomes available following the arrival of the new trains.

Chen said the ministry will look into integrating the necessary ticketing hardware and software in advance so the cards can be accepted once capacity increases.

Cho said the government should complete the required ticketing infrastructure and software development before the new trains arrive, while working with THSRC to establish reasonable rules for use of the cards.