Sea, land and air transportation preparations for 11/28 voting day! The double-rail reservation is less than 50%

The 28th of this month is the voting day for the nine-in-one election. From the day before the polling day to the day after the polling day is the transportation period, and less than 50% of the reservations for the two railways have been made. Transportation Minister Chen Shikai said that the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway, national highway passenger transport, aviation and maritime transport have been coordinated to plan various transportation measures in advance. Travel demand is concentrated during some popular periods, and more Taiwan Railway and national highway passenger transport can be used to avoid peak train times.

In response to the transportation demand for returning home and returning before and after the local public office election polling day on November 28, the Ministry of Transportation has coordinated with the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway, national highway passenger transportation, aviation and maritime transport units. From November 27 to November 30, the high-speed rail and Taiwan Railway will operate a total of 110 additional flights. National highway passenger transportation will also increase the number of flights based on the flow of people, and sea and air transportation on outlying islands will be simultaneously prepared.

According to current statistics on Taiwan Railway reservation status, as of 8:00 on October 30, a total of 45,696 tickets (including booked but unpaid tickets) have been sold during the election period (boarding days 11/27 to 11/29), with an overall average utilization rate of 19.00%. According to Taiwan's high-speed rail reservation status, as of 8 a.m. today, 198,712 reserved seats have been sold, accounting for approximately 41% of the reserved seats.

The high-speed rail will operate 40 additional trains from November 27 to 30, providing a total of 718 trains in four days. It is estimated that the daily two-way travel demand is about 231,000 to 353,000 passengers. The high-speed rail company stated that it will continue to monitor the reservation and waiting situation and flexibly adjust capacity according to actual demand.

The Taiwan Railways will operate 70 additional trains during the same period, including 20 on the Western Main Line and 50 on the Eastern Main Line and Southern Circuit. The average daily capacity of the entire line is expected to increase by 3.82% compared with normal times, and the Eastern Main Line and Southern Circuit will increase by 8.6%. The total transportation volume in the four days is estimated to be approximately 2.767 million passengers, with the peak of approximately 793,000 passengers on November 27.

Chen Yanbo, deputy minister of the Ministry of Transportation, said that it is estimated that from noon to the evening of November 27, and from the afternoon of November 29, some popular high-speed trains will have more passengers, and unreserved seats may require longer waiting times. Passengers with more flexible itineraries are recommended to check Taiwan Railway train schedules and remaining seats in advance, evaluate whether to take the Taiwan Railway instead, or adjust their departure time to avoid popular times.

For the national highway passenger transport section, 7,088 flights are planned to be operated from November 27 to 29, with an estimated daily transportation of approximately 155,000 passengers, of which approximately 33,000 passengers are transported daily on Route 5 of the National Highway, and approximately 122,000 passengers are transported on the Western National Highway each day.

In addition, the Ministry of Transportation also stated that in order to provide students with more diversified transportation options for returning home, the Ministry of Transportation has coordinated with the Tour Bus Association to establish contact windows for colleges and universities to assist students in matching and renting tour buses to facilitate students' return to their hometowns to vote.

In terms of transportation to outlying islands, domestic aviation is expected to provide 946 flights with approximately 66,000 seats from November 27 to 30, including a total of 890 flights with approximately 62,000 seats on outlying island routes. The Ministry of Transport stated that due to the overwhelming number of reservations on the Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu routes, 32 additional flights have been planned for the three routes, adding a total of more than 3,000 seats. Reservations will be open tomorrow (6th).

In the maritime transport section, services between Keelung and Matsu are provided by "New Taima Ferry" and "Taiwan Star", with 8 voyages and 5,012 seats planned, and two-vessel sailings are arranged on November 27 and 29; "Penghu Ferry" from Kaohsiung to Magong provides 2 voyages and 1,200 seats to support transportation needs to and from outlying islands. Currently, there are about 230 seats available on Penghu Ferry's night flight to Magong on November 27.