Public transport operators post record New Year's Eve riderships

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) Several public transport service providers reported record numbers of passengers on New Year's Eve, as hundreds of thousands attended celebrations across Taiwan on Tuesday.

In New Taipei, the number of passengers traveling on the 14-stop Danhai light rail system achieved a record single-day high of more than 36,000, New Taipei Metro Corp. said in a statement on Wednesday.

Many of those passengers traveled to the city's Tamsui and Bali districts to take part in afternoon activities or watch the 13-minute-and-14-second fireworks display which started at 8:25 p.m.

It took around 30 minutes for crowds at the Fisherman's Wharf, where a main stage was located, to leave the area by light rail services or shuttle buses, according to the city's police department.

Meanwhile, Taoyuan Metro Corp. and Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Corp. posted record single-day riderships for their two metro lines.

The 22-station Taoyuan Airport MRT Line, which first opened in 2017, recorded a ridership of 195,603 during the 24-hour period starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday, due to the countdown party near the high-speed rail station and a concert by rock band Mayday, Taoyuan Metro Corp. said.

The 18-station Taichung Metro Green Line, which entered service in 2021, recorded 67,690 passengers between 6 a.m. Tuesday and 2 a.m. Wednesday, said Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Corp., which also posted its highest monthly ridership in December.

State-run Taiwan Railway Corp. reported on Wednesday that 196,000 passengers nationwide used its 24 extra services on Tuesday, a New Year's Eve record for the company.

The rail operator also said it set another record of more than 10,000 passengers taking extra services in eastern Taiwan.

In the nation's capital, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. said the total ridership on the city's metro network in the 24 hours starting 6 a.m. Tuesday hit 3.1 million, thanks to around 220,000 attending the Taipei 101 fireworks display and 40,000 watching pop star A-Mei's (張惠妹) Taipei Dome concert.

The figure for this 24-hour period was second only to the 3.2 million reported on New Year's Day in 2020.