Indigenous Ritual Festivals Approaching, Taiwan Railway Opens Booking for Homecoming Trains
As the indigenous ritual festivals in Taitung are set to begin from mid-June, the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) opened the first round of bookings on the morning of June 5 for its Indigenous Homecoming Trains for July and August. Legislator Chen Ying, who championed this policy, stated that it was her first initiative upon returning to the Legislative Yuan in 2016 and that this year marks its 10th year of official operation.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 5, 2026 at 10:20
- 🔍 Collected: June 5, 2026 at 10:36 (16 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 6, 2026 at 15:20 (28h 44m after Collected)
(Central News Agency reporter Lu Taicheng, Taitung County, June 5) As the indigenous peoples' "ritual festivals" in Taitung are set to begin from mid-June, the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) opened bookings for its Indigenous Homecoming Trains on the morning of June 5. Legislator Chen Ying, who facilitated this policy, called on indigenous people to make good use of the service.
The TRA launched the Indigenous Homecoming Trains to help indigenous people return to their hometowns for festivals such as the Harvest Festival and the Thanksgiving Festival. The first round of seat bookings for July and August opened on the morning of June 5.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ying told CNA on June 5 that the Indigenous Homecoming Train was the first policy she proposed upon returning to the Legislative Yuan in 2016. The service has evolved from adding carriages to old Tzu-Chiang express trains to incorporating EMU3000 intercity trains, and this year marks its 10th year of official operation.
Chen Ying stated that in the past, indigenous people often found it extremely difficult to buy tickets to return home for their tribes' ritual festivals. Without tickets, they had to "transfer and transfer again" to get back to their tribes. Ten years ago, she coordinated the launch of the Indigenous Homecoming Train, convening the Council of Indigenous Peoples, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the National Audit Office, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, and local governments for multiple rounds of negotiations, finally leading to the first trial run in July 2016.
She noted that initially, the Indigenous Homecoming Train only operated on the North-Link Line, but was later expanded to the South-Link Line, gradually transitioning from a "trial" to a "regular" policy. In response to suggestions from indigenous people, a "red-eye overnight train" was added in 2018. Initially, tickets could only be collected at certain stations, but the service was integrated into the TRA's booking and ticketing system in 2019. The booking system was optimized in 2021, and EMU3000 intercity trains were added in 2022 to enhance the service.
Chen Ying said that the Indigenous Homecoming Trains now operate during the spring break, July, August, and the end of each year. For July and August this year, there will be 9 sessions, each with 15 trains. Individuals with indigenous status (who can also purchase tickets for non-indigenous family members) can book a maximum of 4 tickets per person per trip, for a total of 8 round-trip tickets. Tickets must be collected within 2 days of booking. (Editor: Huang Mingxi) 1150605
The TRA launched the Indigenous Homecoming Trains to help indigenous people return to their hometowns for festivals such as the Harvest Festival and the Thanksgiving Festival. The first round of seat bookings for July and August opened on the morning of June 5.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ying told CNA on June 5 that the Indigenous Homecoming Train was the first policy she proposed upon returning to the Legislative Yuan in 2016. The service has evolved from adding carriages to old Tzu-Chiang express trains to incorporating EMU3000 intercity trains, and this year marks its 10th year of official operation.
Chen Ying stated that in the past, indigenous people often found it extremely difficult to buy tickets to return home for their tribes' ritual festivals. Without tickets, they had to "transfer and transfer again" to get back to their tribes. Ten years ago, she coordinated the launch of the Indigenous Homecoming Train, convening the Council of Indigenous Peoples, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the National Audit Office, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, and local governments for multiple rounds of negotiations, finally leading to the first trial run in July 2016.
She noted that initially, the Indigenous Homecoming Train only operated on the North-Link Line, but was later expanded to the South-Link Line, gradually transitioning from a "trial" to a "regular" policy. In response to suggestions from indigenous people, a "red-eye overnight train" was added in 2018. Initially, tickets could only be collected at certain stations, but the service was integrated into the TRA's booking and ticketing system in 2019. The booking system was optimized in 2021, and EMU3000 intercity trains were added in 2022 to enhance the service.
Chen Ying said that the Indigenous Homecoming Trains now operate during the spring break, July, August, and the end of each year. For July and August this year, there will be 9 sessions, each with 15 trains. Individuals with indigenous status (who can also purchase tickets for non-indigenous family members) can book a maximum of 4 tickets per person per trip, for a total of 8 round-trip tickets. Tickets must be collected within 2 days of booking. (Editor: Huang Mingxi) 1150605