Typhoon Holiday Causes Chaos on Taiwan High-Speed Rail; Passenger Denied Boarding, Abused by Staff

A chaotic scene unfolded on Taiwan's High-Speed Rail (HSR) as passengers with reserved seats were unable to board trains due to severe overcrowding during a typhoon holiday. Twelve cities and counties, including Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan, had announced a suspension of work and classes on August 10th, prompting a surge of travelers heading south to escape the storm.

One passenger, who had purchased a reserved seat ticket for the evening of August 9th, recounted a distressing experience. Despite having a valid ticket, the passenger was unable to board the train due to the overwhelming number of people. The situation became more chaotic when, after waiting for passengers to disembark, the train doors closed just as the passenger was attempting to board, leaving many with reserved seats stranded outside.

Adding to the frustration, the passenger reported being confronted by a staff member who questioned why they hadn't boarded. When the passenger explained they had yielded to disembarking passengers, the staff member allegedly responded with an offensive remark: "If someone tells you to go die, will you go die?" The passenger expressed shock and disbelief at the interaction.

In response to the complaint, HSR stated that it has received the passenger's feedback through its customer service channels. The company has committed to launching an investigation into the incident to ascertain the facts and will provide an explanation to the passenger once the details are clarified.

“

Why didn't you reserved-seat passengers board the train? If someone tells you to go die, will you go die?