TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taipei prepares for a bustling New Year's Eve as over 200,000 revelers are expected to flood Xinyi District (信義區) and surrounding areas. The Taipei City Government urged attendees to use public transportation on Thursday (Dec. 19), announcing that the Taipei Metro will operate continuously for 42 hours starting at 6 a.m. on Dec. 31.
Lin Yu-sheng (林育生), a department head in the Taipei Department of Transportation, detailed a three-phase traffic control plan to accommodate the "Taipei New Year’s Eve Countdown Party" (台北最High新年城) event. Various roads will be closed at different intervals from Dec. 25 to Jan. 2 to facilitate stage setup and breakdown.
Parking restrictions will also be in place. Lin stated that parking lots within the control zones will restrict exit from 7 p.m. on Dec. 31, with full control starting at 8 p.m. The Taipei Dome (大巨蛋) parking lot will limit exits from 6 p.m., and roadside parking will be prohibited from 5 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Jan. 1. Parking fees around the event area will increase to encourage public transport use.
YouBike stations will also face restrictions. Lin noted that 33 stations around Xinyi District will suspend rentals and returns from 5 p.m. on Dec. 31, with 22 additional stations joining at 7 p.m., totaling 55 stations until 3 a.m. on Jan. 1.
The city government encourages dispersing crowds to use the Songshan-Xindian Line (松山新店線), with additional shuttle buses provided by the city and Farglory Group (遠雄). Kuo Chien-chen (郭建辰), head of the public transportation section, mentioned that the city plans three shuttle routes running from midnight to 1:30 a.m., while Farglory will deploy 44 buses operating until 2 a.m.
