TAIPEI (TVBS News) — As debate continues over noise on public transport, Taiwan High Speed Rail said on Sunday (Feb. 1) that 95 percent of its TGo members support the company's "quiet train" policy, a measure that has reignited discussion over how behavior should be managed in shared public spaces.
The policy, introduced on September 22 last year, requires passengers to wear earphones when watching videos or listening to music on board. The rules were rolled out as part of a broader effort to reduce noise in enclosed train carriages, where even small disturbances can be amplified during long journeys. However, since its implementation, the policy has drawn mixed reactions.
Taiwan High Speed Rail recorded approximately 7 million passengers in Dec. 2025, highlighting noise management as an operational issue. Still, the latest survey results suggest the idea itself may be less controversial than earlier public debate indicated.
Similar expectations exist in other countries. In Japan, keeping noise to a minimum on trains is widely regarded as a social norm. Passengers typically avoid phone calls, and loud conversations are discouraged, often without the need for explicit reminders. Children are taught from a young age how to behave on public transport, and compliance tends to rely more on social pressure than formal penalties.
The contrast has raised the question of why rules on public transport are often far more explicit than those in other public spaces. While trains operate in enclosed, tightly managed environments governed by transport operators, behavior in open settings, such as streets or night markets, is typically shaped by custom rather than policy. Enforcement in such spaces is more diffuse, relying largely on social negotiation rather than clear rules.
In the month following the implementation of the "quiet car" policy, 13,000 warnings have been issued across all train services, averaging around 5 cases per train. Statistics from the Taiwan High Speed Rail revealed that nearly half (49%) of these warnings were related to talking on the phone in the carriage, followed by loud conversations affecting others (approximately 30%, 27%), and then watching TV or listening to music without headphones (over 20%, 24%).
The quiet train policy has renewed a broader question faced by cities around the world: when it comes to shared public spaces, should good behavior be left to social norms, or reinforced through formal rules? For now, Taiwan’s approach appears to blend both. Whether enforced by signage or a polite glance across the aisle, the aim remains the same: to make shared journeys more comfortable for everyone.