TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) set a record last year, transporting 73.08 million people and generating NT$49.8 billion in revenues, the most since it began operations in 2007, according to THSR vice president and spokesperson Yen Shao-li on Thursday (Feb. 22).
Yen said the company aims to further increase its revenue to break NT＄50 billion this year.
Yen noted that after the COVID-19 pandemic, THSR observed a significant increase in traveler numbers particularly during peak times.
Changes in commuting behavior after the pandemic and an appreciation for THSR's services, including ventilation changes every seven minutes in the stations for pandemic prevention, have led to a surge in passenger willingness to use the high-speed rail, Yen analyzed.
Yen mentioned that, after the Lunar New Year, the number of passengers has stabilized, with a single-day high of 310,000 passengers during the holiday, the third-highest in history.
People take the THSR for commuting, business, homecoming, and tourism. Last year, about 4.02 million people used the high-speed train for tourism, Yen pointed out.
Along with a weekly increase from 1,039 to 1,060 travel services since Jan. 3, more trains have also been added before and after peak hours to encourage passengers to shift to off-peak times, Yen stated.