Taipei:Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) experienced record ridership over the Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend, with 348,000 passengers traveling on Thursday and 315,000 on Friday, as reported by the railway operator.

According to Focus Taiwan, the influx of 663,000 passengers over these two days led to overcrowding on some trains. Passengers with non-reserved seat tickets were seen occupying spaces in reserved-seat and business-class cars, which sparked complaints on social media platforms.

One business-class passenger voiced their frustration on Threads, stating that they chose business class to avoid disturbances. They pointed out that current regulations prohibit non-reserved ticket holders from entering business-class cars. The passenger suggested that those standing in business-class cars should pay the fare difference.

Fare details from THSR's website indicate that a business-class ticket from Nangang in Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung is priced at NT$2,500 (US$78.79), while a non-reserved ticket costs NT$1,480. The website clarifies that non-reserved ticket holders standing in higher-priced cars are subject to pay the fare difference and may incur a penalty of 50 percent of that difference.

THSR anticipates another surge in travelers on Sunday and Monday as the holiday concludes. In a statement made on Saturday, the company advised passengers to consider returning earlier if possible. It also recommended that non-reserved ticket holders check the "non-reserved wait time" on its website and travel during periods indicated by a green indicator to avoid peak-hour congestion.