THSRC to add 176 rides for Mid-Autumn Festival, Teachers' Day holiday

Taipei, Aug. 25 (CNA) Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) will add 176 train services during a six-day travel period from Sept. 24 to 29 covering the four-day Mid-Autumn Festival and Teachers' Day holiday weekend, with tickets to go on sale starting Aug. 27.

THSRC said Tuesday it will run 1,150 train services during the six-day period, including 70 additional southbound services and 106 additional northbound services.

Tickets for the additional services will be available through the T-EX mobile app -- the high-speed rail's online booking system -- as well as participating convenience stores, and station ticket counters and machines, the bullet train operator said.

Passengers who need reserved seats are advised to book in advance and collect their tickets before arriving at the station to avoid lines, it said.

According to THSRC, each train during the holiday travel period will have between two and nine unreserved-seat carriages.

Passengers with tickets for unreserved seats, which do not guarantee a seat or even standing room in a specific train, are advised to check the station's passenger information displays for carriage arrangements and follow staff instructions when boarding.

The high-speed rail operator will also continue working with the LINE Today mobile app to provide a graphic showing about how long people have to wait to board trains, divided into five 20-minute intervals represented by small person-shaped icons.

Passengers can check the graphic for each station through the THSRC website, the T-EX app, or LINE Today's Lifestyle section and choose periods marked with only one green person-shaped icon, representing a wait of less than 20 minutes.

The bullet train company has had to make the schedule changes because of the rare confluence of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is determined by the lunar calendar and falls on Sept. 25 this year, and Teachers' Day, which is celebrated on Sept. 28 every year.