Taiwan Railway to offer full refunds for delays over 10 minutes

台鐵將對誤點逾10分鐘以​​上列車全額退款

Policy updates to take effect June 23


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Railway Corp. will update its passenger transportation contract on June 23, allowing passengers to request refunds without handling fees if a train is delayed by more than 10 minutes.

The revised policy also allows passengers to receive a full refund if the train’s departure time is uncertain due to reasons beyond their control. In these cases where a delay exceeds 10 minutes or the departure time remains undetermined, passengers may choose not to board and will have up to one year to apply for a refund, per CNA.

Additionally, under the new terms, passengers who transfer to another train or switch to a different class of carriage within two hours of the original departure time will be eligible for a refund for the unused ticket.

Previously, the company allowed refunds without handling fees in cases such as delays, cancellations, or service disruptions not caused by passengers. However, it did not define a minimum delay period that would qualify for a refund.

The latest update follows recent service disruptions that have drawn public concern.

On May 8, damage to overhead power lines between Xizhi and Qidu caused major delays, with disruptions continuing into the next morning's rush hour. More recently, a switch failure at Yangmei on Sunday evening resulted in widespread delays, with some trains running more than an hour behind schedule, per ETtoday.

Also taking effect on June 23 are fare adjustments and changes to the lost ticket policy.

Under the revised rules, the handling fee for refunding a recovered lost ticket will be reduced from 20% to 10%, with a minimum deduction of NT$20 (66 cents). A new condition requires that the repurchased ticket be for a route in the same direction as the original to qualify for a refund.