Taiwan transport official defends HSR quiet rules as families seek a more flexible approach

Quiet travel rules put family concerns in focus

Taiwan High Speed Rail crews issued about 13,000 noise reminders in the first weeks after quiet rules took effect across all carriages on September 22, with phone calls accounting for nearly half. The rollout has also drawn concern from parents after a mother described being asked to lower her children's voices.

As of October 15, 2025, the policy remains in place while the company adjusts how staff deliver reminders. Shen Hui-hung, general secretary at the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, has defended the approach, saying it targets behavior adults can control, such as playing videos aloud or making calls inside carriages.

Infants making unavoidable sounds and passengers with medical needs should be treated with understanding, Shen said. The question at the center of the debate is how crews can keep journeys comfortable for people who want to rest or read while making families and passengers who need assistance feel welcome.

The rules cover Business Class, Reserved and Nonreserved seats. Passengers are asked to silence their devices, use earphones for audio and video, speak softly and move to the gangway when making or answering calls. The gangway is the connecting space between carriages.

THSR chair Shih Che has presented the change as an effort to improve ride quality and reduce repeated loudspeaker reminders, which had themselves become a distraction. The company is asking passengers to manage their own noise, with crews stepping in when necessary.

Persistent refusal to cooperate can lead to the passenger's transport contract being ended and removal from the train after warnings. Officials say ordinary enforcement should begin with a polite reminder, with assistance available for families and others who need support.

What passengers are being asked to do

THSR's initiative turns familiar travel etiquette into a clearer set of expectations. A person watching a video can continue doing so with earphones, while someone taking a call is asked to leave the seating area so the conversation does not carry through the carriage.

• Keep phones and other devices on silent inside carriages.
• Use earphones when listening to audio or watching video.
• Move to the gangway to make or answer phone calls.
• Speak softly enough to avoid disturbing nearby passengers.
• Cooperate with crew reminders, with repeated refusal potentially leading to removal after warnings.

The launch included a promotional period lasting three months, focused on education. THSR has used illustrated cards in seat pockets, overhead LED signs, station screens, its website and announcements to explain the expectations. Staff initially also held reminder placards.

The company has reduced frequent announcements about noise because many passengers found them counterproductive. Its approach combines visible information with a framework that allows crews to respond to disruptive behavior when it occurs.

On crowded trains, staff may encourage passengers to send a text instead of making a call. Moving every caller into the gangway can create another problem if too many people gather in that limited space.

Officials draw a line around controllable noise

Shen Hui-hung said mutual respect is the purpose of the policy. She distinguished between an adult choosing to play audio aloud and a baby making sounds that a parent cannot immediately prevent.

The policy addresses behaviors adults can control, not the unavoidable noises of infants or passengers with medical needs. We ask riders to show understanding and courtesy toward one another.

Shen also described a recent journey during which children's voices did not disturb the carriage. She said staff accommodated passengers with pets within existing rules, illustrating the company's stated approach of balancing quiet expectations with passengers' circumstances.

Crews are instructed to approach adults who play audio aloud or speak loudly, ask callers to use the gangway, and offer assistance to families or travelers who need extra support. The practical aim is to address an activity that can be changed while responding with care to someone who needs help.

THSR chair Shih Che linked the policy to creating a calmer setting for passengers who want to rest or read. He said clear expectations should help reduce the need for repeated announcements.

We hope to create an environment suitable for rest and reading. These changes encourage self discipline so everyone can enjoy a peaceful journey.

Shih Chung-liang, the minister of health and welfare, said his ministry had asked transport authorities to supervise the company's response to the controversy and would continue following concerns raised by parents and caregivers.

We asked the transport ministry to supervise the company in addressing the controversy and will continue to monitor the situation.

Why a mother's experience prompted criticism

A widely shared social media post described a mother traveling with two young children who was shown a sign by staff asking her to lower their voices. She reportedly took one child to the doorway while leaving the older child in the seat.

The account prompted accusations that the policy was singling out families. Parents expressed concern about attracting stares from other passengers when a child fusses or cries, even when the parent is trying to help.

Some parents proposed a carriage intended to welcome families. The suggestion reflects a practical concern: a parent traveling with more than one child may find it difficult to move one child away from the seating area while continuing to look after another.

THSR says its rules do not restrict children or passengers with special circumstances. Staff are trained to approach such situations with care and can offer small items, including stickers or snacks, to help calm young children.

The company describes cases involving infants and children as very rare compared with other noise issues. Its stated approach gives crews room to assist a family through a difficult moment while directing most reminders toward activities adults can readily change.

What the early figures show

From September 22 through the following Wednesday, crews issued about 13,000 reminders, according to THSR. The company said that amounted to fewer than five reminders per train on average.

Phone calls inside carriages accounted for about 49 percent of reminders. Audio or video played without earphones accounted for 24 percent, while loud chatter accounted for the remaining 27 percent. Incidents involving infants and children were described as very rare.

Calls and media played aloud together made up about 73 percent of reminders, based on the company's figures of 49 percent and 24 percent. That means nearly three quarters concerned two activities passengers can change by moving to the gangway or using earphones.

Loud conversations made up a smaller share than those two device related categories combined. The figures point to phone and media habits as the main focus of the early rollout, alongside reminders to groups whose conversations disturb nearby passengers.

THSR has also cited strong public backing through its feedback channels and surveys. The company says passengers broadly support using earphones and moving calls to the gangway, while many welcome the reduction in onboard announcements.

For crews, the pattern provides a practical order of attention. Clear messages about phones and audio can address most recorded disturbances, while staff can offer help to families managing a child who is briefly upset or to carers assisting someone with additional needs.

How warnings and removal work

THSR places the quiet rules within its passenger transportation contract, the agreement setting out what the company and a traveler can expect from each other. In everyday terms, passengers receive transport while accepting conditions intended to protect the journey for everyone aboard.

Staff begin with a polite reminder. A passenger who refuses to cooperate may receive further warnings. For repeated or serious noncompliance, the company can end the transport contract and ask the person to leave at the next station.

Removal is reserved for a traveler who continues to disrupt others after multiple reminders. The original approach also places responsibility on crews to distinguish between a passenger refusing guidance and someone whose circumstances call for assistance.

Passengers can review the official THSR Passenger Guide in English for information about travel conditions, including pets, luggage, musical instruments and special assistance.

For most journeys, the practical steps are straightforward: mute alerts and ringtones, put on earphones before starting media, and move to the gangway for a call. When the train is crowded, a brief text can avoid adding to congestion between carriages.

A parent dealing with a fussy child can give the child a moment and, where needed, take a short walk toward the doorway. Staff can be asked for help. The company's stated aim is a quieter cabin without placing an added burden on families or passengers who need care.

Where Taiwan's approach fits with other railways

Japan's Shinkansen already asks passengers to use earphones for media and make telephone calls in the vestibule, the space between carriages. Crews give reminders, while passenger courtesy plays a large part in keeping the seating area calm.

Many European services promote quiet zones or quiet coaches on selected routes. Rail systems in Japan and Europe also reserve removal for persistent disruptors. Taiwan's policy applies across all THSR carriages, rather than setting aside only selected seating areas.

These approaches respond to the way smartphones and streaming have changed shared travel. A small device can send sound across a carriage; earphones allow the same person to watch or listen without filling the surrounding space with audio.

THSR's expectations allow conversation at a considerate volume while directing calls and audible media away from the seating area. A shared rule gives passengers and staff a common reference, instead of leaving each encounter to different personal ideas about acceptable noise.

Clear wording, consistent reminders and crews willing to intervene when necessary are central to how such arrangements work. Passengers who want to rest, read or work gain a calmer carriage, while those who need to speak on the phone have another place to do so.

A timeline of the rollout and response

THSR introduced the rules on September 22 and paired them with a promotional period lasting three months. By October 15, the discussion had moved from explaining quiet travel to deciding how reminders should be delivered when children and other passengers need support.

• September 22: Quiet rules began across Business Class, Reserved and Nonreserved carriages, supported by cards, displays, announcements and staff reminders.
• September 22 through the following Wednesday: Crews issued about 13,000 reminders, fewer than five per train on average, according to the company.
• By October 15: The mother's widely shared account had prompted concern from parents, officials had defended a focus on controllable behavior, and THSR was adjusting its reminder methods while keeping the policy.
• During the promotional period lasting three months: THSR is focusing on education through information on trains, at stations and on its website.

Chinese Nationalist Party legislator Chen Ching-hui has urged the transport and health ministries to develop more flexible measures within a month. She welcomed the intention behind quiet travel but said interactions with families require particular care to avoid stigma and anxiety.

What changes are being considered

Chen Ching-hui said crying is one way children communicate their needs, and warned that a staff approach can make a family feel publicly identified as the source of a problem.

Children express needs through crying, so soothing alone is not enough. Staff approaching crying children would only draw attention from other passengers and label the family as causing a disturbance.

THSR says it is reviewing how reminders are delivered. It plans to retain messages on trains and at stations, update cards in seat pockets with clearer graphics, and reduce the need for staff to hold placards in the aisles.

A carriage intended for families has also been suggested by passengers and commentators, including as an experiment on selected services. No decision or launch date for that option has been announced. Such an arrangement would need planning to avoid attaching a stigma to families while maintaining quiet expectations elsewhere on the train.

The immediate work is more specific: explain the rules clearly, direct reminders toward controllable disturbances, and help crews respond sensitively when passengers need care. The transport and health ministries are continuing to follow the response, with Chen seeking more flexible measures within a month.

For travelers, the policy still means earphones for media, calls in the gangway and considerate conversation. For families and caregivers, officials have stated that unavoidable sounds should be met with empathy. How staff put both expectations into practice remains the central issue in the rollout.

At a Glance

• THSR's quiet rules began on September 22 and apply across Business Class, Reserved and Nonreserved carriages.
• Passengers are asked to silence devices, use earphones, make calls in the gangway and speak softly.
• Transport official Shen Hui-hung says the focus is controllable behavior, with understanding for infants and passengers with medical needs.
• THSR recorded about 13,000 early reminders, averaging fewer than five per train.
• Phone calls accounted for 49 percent of reminders, media without earphones for 24 percent and loud chatter for 27 percent.
• Cases involving infants and children were described as very rare.
• Repeated refusal to cooperate can lead to the transport contract being ended and removal at the next station after warnings.
• THSR is adjusting reminders, while ministries monitor family concerns and a legislator seeks more flexible measures within a month.