MOTC meets holiday traffic goal: Chen

LONG WEEKEND: The goal was to ensure that no traveler is left behind at major transportation hubs and that everyone reaches their destination, the minister said

• By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

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Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) yesterday said that the ministry met its goal of preventing travelers from being stranded and ensuring they reached their destination during the holiday, adding that his trip to Germany did not interfere with his handling of holiday traffic.

Chen made the remarks on the sidelines of a groundbreaking ceremony for the first section of the Kaohsiung-Pingtung Second Expressway, when he was asked about the execution of the transportation plan for the four-day Mid-Autumn Festival and Teacher’s Day holiday, which ended yesterday.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) drew criticism for its handling of holiday transportation, after chaos erupted at the high-speed rail (HSR) stations in Nangang, Taipei and Taoyuan on the day before the long weekend began. A large number of passengers of non-reserved seat cabins reportedly overflowed to reserved seat cabins, causing many with reserved seats unable to get on their train on time.

Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai, center, speaks to reporters in Pingtung County yesterday.

Photo: Lo Hsin-chen, Taipei Times

Chen and Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) chairman Shih Che (史哲) were in Berlin to showcase Taiwan’s railway systems at the international transportation technology fair InnoTrains before the long weekend began.

Chen said that he monitored the traffic online on the return flight to Taipei on Thursday last week, arrived at 5am on Friday and inspected the operations of all transportation hubs throughout the long weekend.

The number of HSR passengers on Thursday alone was a record-high 348,000, Chen said, adding that the high-speed rail operator reached the limit of the service capacity that day, running 200 train services.

Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) also reported a record-high number of travelers, he said.

“The goal of the holiday transportation plan is not to leave any traveler behind at major transport hubs, and we achieved that goal on the first two days of the long weekend, whether they were at the airport, train station or bust station,” he said.

“I oversaw the holiday traffic the entire time, whether online or offline, and monitored trending holiday traffic posts on social media. I have also asked bus operators to increase Yilan-bound bus services to bring travelers home,” he said.

“Overseeing [the transportation system] does not have to be done in the office. The point is directing it and ensuring that all travelers reach their desired destinations,” he added.

Chen said that attending the InnoTrains was equally important, as this was the first time there was a Taiwan Pavilion in the world’s largest railway exhibition.

As Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s fab in Germany is slated to begin mass production next year and business travel between the two countries is expected to increase, Chen said he used the trip to meet with German civil aviation officials to discuss increasing flights between the two countries.

On Friday, the ministry issued a statement saying that the number of high-speed rail passengers on Thursday surpassed the 338,000 recorded during the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2023.

More than 846,000 passengers took TRC trains on the same day, about 1.3 times more than its daily average, the data showed.

While the number of freeway bus travelers was comparable with that of the same time last year, those traveling between Taipei and Yilan County topped 38,000 this year, 1.5 times more than the daily average, the ministry said.

For the last day of the holiday, THSRC set up an emergency command center at its Taichung Station at 11am yesterday to prepare for the post-holiday travel peak. Chen also visited the station to inspect preparations and hear a briefing from the operator.

The company said it had arranged for eight southbound trains running between Nangang and Taichung to park at the northbound platform upon arriving in Taichung, saving about one hour in preparation and turnaround time per train. The measure allowed the company to operate at least one extra northbound train per hour during the peak period, with nine-car trains providing unreserved seating to help clear crowds north of Taichung.

Starting at 1pm yesterday, the operator also added four northbound all-unreserved-seat trains, excluding business-class cars, stopping at all stations along the route. Two of the trains departed from Chiayi for the first time, reducing waiting time for unreserved-seat riders at stations in Chiayi, Yunlin and Changhua, helping ease congestion.

TRC also added a Chu-Kuang Express and increased stops by four Tzuchiang Express trains at the New Wuri Station, and added another Tzuchiang Express and a local express train between Changhua County and Cidu (七堵) yesterday afternoon.