TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In response to strong demand for travel and the frequency of large-scale end-of-year events, Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) said it will increase weekend train services on weekends from Nov. 1 to Dec. 29.

An additional 27 to 33 trains will be added per weekend, over nine weekends. This means 273 trains will be added by the end of the year (122 southbound, 151 northbound), with advance purchase beginning at midnight on Friday (Oct. 18), per ET Today.

THSR said the additional trains will be scheduled for peak travel periods, helping commuters either return home or travel to large-scale activities taking place over the weekend. 

The added trains, however, will only offer unreserved seating on carriages 11 and 12. Also, arrival times for some of the extra trains may arrive after midnight, with the final train entering the terminal station at 0:30 a.m.

To save time waiting in line, THSR reminds passengers they can purchase unreserved seats through the T-Express mobile ticketing app. By turning on the Bluetooth function of their mobile phones at THSR stations, unreserved tickets departing from the station on the same day can be conveniently purchased.

Buying unreserved tickets through the T-Express mobile app allows commuters to receive a QR code on their mobile phones which can be scanned to board high speed rail trains.