Taipei: Taiwan's high-speed rail services will undergo adjustments starting from 2 p.m. today as Typhoon Podul approaches, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) announced. The rail line will initially operate normally until 2 p.m., after which three all-stop, non-reserved seat trains will run every hour, with business class cars excluded.

According to Focus Taiwan, these changes will see trains departing from Nangang Station in Taipei heading southbound and from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung heading northbound at the top of the hour and at 20 and 40 minutes past the hour. The north-south rail line traverses Taiwan, connecting Taipei and Kaohsiung.

The decision to alter the schedule was made following an early morning assessment of train operation safety and recent weather updates. The Central Weather Administration reported that as of 10 a.m., Typhoon Podul's center was approximately 90 kilometers southeast of Taitung, moving west-northwest at 32 kilometers per hour.

The typhoon's storm circle is gradually impacting southeastern, southern, and eastern Taiwan, threatening Taitung and Hualien counties, regions south of Miaoli County, and the outlying Penghu and Kinmen counties. As a consequence, the high-speed rail operator has set the final departures on Wednesday to leave Nangang at 9:40 p.m. to Zuoying and at 10:40 p.m. to Taichung. Meanwhile, from Zuoying, the last departures are at 9:40 p.m. to Nangang and 10:40 p.m. to Taichung.

THSRC has also announced a ticket refund policy for those affected by the typhoon. Passengers with tickets from the issuance of the sea typhoon warning on Tuesday until its cancellation can request a full refund without service fees within one year at any THSRC station. This applies whether trains operated normally, were rescheduled, or were canceled.

For passengers switching to a lower-fare class, the fare difference can be claimed at station ticket counters within a year from the travel date. THSRC indicated that trains might operate at reduced speeds if wind or rainfall exceeds safety thresholds. Delays from these safety measures, considered natural factors, will not be eligible for delay compensation.

Passengers are advised to allocate extra time for transfers and connections to ensure seamless travel during the typhoon period.