Given the huge drop in the number of people using the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT this month amid travel restrictions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Taoyuan Metro Corp yesterday said it would adjust the schedules of its express trains next month.
The number of passengers headed to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport has dropped by about 50 percent since the beginning of this month, although the number of commuters using the system has not varied as much, it said.
Given that the average passenger volume for the express service has decreased by 60 to 80 percent, it would extend the interval between trains during off-peak hours from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, it said.
Photo: CNA
“After a careful assessment, we feel the need to adjust express train services for practical purposes, so from April 6 to June 14, express trains would be dispatched every 30 minutes during off-peak hours,” the company said.
Peak hours are weekdays from 6am to 9am and from 5pm to 7pm, and express trains would continue to run every 15 minutes during these times, it said.
Off-peak hours are from 9am to 5pm and 7pm to 10pm during the week, it said, adding that the express service would end at 10pm.
On weekends and holidays, express service would be available every 30 minutes from 6am to 10pm.
Regular trains, which stop at every station along the Airport MRT system, would still run at 15-minute intervals, it added.
The change to the express service would help it save on electricity and personnel costs and increase the efficiency of its maintenance work, and would not disrupt commuter travel or the transport of luggage for passengers who used the in-town check-in service, it said.
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