Taipei, Dec. 23 (CNA) A total of 309 train journeys will be added to the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA's) regular schedule from Jan. 27-Feb. 7, 2022 to meet an expected surge in demand over the Lunar New Year holiday, the TRA announced on Thursday.

Booking of the holiday train tickets for the TRA's Eastern Trunk Line will start at 12 a.m. Dec. 29, while booking for Western Trunk Line tickets will kick off at 12 a.m. Dec. 30, the TRA said in a statement.

The TRA said that 36 additional Shulin-Hualien Fu-Hsing trains would run from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6 next year in the eastern part of Taiwan. Discounted fares of NT$100 (US$3.6) and NT$200 will be on offer for Taipei-Yilan and Taipei-Hualien routes, respectively.

In addition, from Jan. 28-30 and from Feb. 4-6, there will be eight extra Tze-Chiang Limited Express trains for which ticket registration will start at 12 a.m. on Dec. 31.

Citizens whose ID number starts with the letter U or V, and residents whose household registration is in Hualien and Taitung will be given priority when registering for the Tze-Chiang train tickets, according to the TRA.

The spouses and immediate families of those people will also be eligible to book tickets, the TRA said.

The 2022 Chinese New Year holiday in Taiwan starts from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6.