Taichung:Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) announced the addition of southbound trains to Taichung during Friday evening peak hours, starting October 8. All seats, excluding business class, will be available on a non-reserved basis.

According to Focus Taiwan, the 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. time slot on Fridays is a peak travel period, especially between Taichung and Taipei, as commuters and travelers returning home increase demand for non-reserved seating. This demand can further rise during major holidays.

The decision follows severe crowding issues during the Mid-Autumn Festival and Teachers' Day holiday from September 25-28, when passengers with reserved seats reportedly faced difficulties in boarding, and non-reserved passengers spilled into business-class cars.

Although the change will start on a Thursday, it coincides with the last working day before the three-day Republic of China (Taiwan) National Day holiday. During this period, eight additional southbound trains will operate from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with two trains departing from either Nangang or Taipei per hour. These trains will stop at Banqiao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli before reaching Taichung, and each will feature nine to 11 non-reserved cars.

To enhance capacity, trains arriving in Taichung will return north from the same platform, allowing for a departure within 12 minutes. This arrangement aims to increase northbound capacity and reduce waiting times for passengers using non-reserved seating.

The additional services on Fridays will continue until the new N700ST trains are introduced on July 1, 2027.