Public outcry over transport chaos as Lantern Festival draws 2.2m visitors

Taoyuan, Feb. 16 (CNA) The Taiwan Lantern Festival opening weekend in Taoyuan saw massive crowds overwhelm local transit systems on Saturday, resulting in significant delays and widespread frustration.

The main event, held near the integrated station of Taiwan High-Speed Rail and Taoyuan Airport MRT, recorded approximately 2.2 million attendees on Saturday, according to the Taoyuan City government.

The annual festival started on Wednesday.

The surge in festival-goers led to severe congestion, with some passengers reportedly stuck on MRT platforms.

"It took me half an hour just to get out of the MRT station," a netizen complained at social media platform Threads.

Additionally, road restrictions prevented taxis from accessing the high-speed rail station, causing some passengers to wait up to two hours for a ride.

In response, the city government announced measures to alleviate the congestion. Starting Sunday, the airport MRT will increase its frequency to one train every 7.5 minutes starting at 2 p.m., and additional shuttle buses will be deployed between MRT stations near the festival venue beginning at 5 p.m.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications also urged festival attendees to consider alternative transportation options such as Taiwan Railways, which will run 41 extra local trains during the two festival weekends from Feb. 15-17 and Feb. 22-24.

The arrangement aims to facilitate transfers at Taiwan Railways Zhongli, Neili, and Yangmei stations. At the same time, shuttle buses will be available at Neili and Yangmei stations to assist with further connections, the ministry said.