Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation announced this week that an "early bird" program will be launched on January 26th, giving passengers a discount of up to 30% if they book the tickets 15 days in advance.

The THSR Corporation last year broke even and passengers taking the train reached an all-year peak of 37 million.

Meanwhile the THSR is still pushing the envelope, this year promoting an early bird deal starting January 20, with a 10% and 30% discount deal.

With 30% off, a Taipei to Kaohsiung round trip ticket can save passengers 900NT dollars.

For students and frequent commuters, this is a pretty good deal.

Currently, the THSR offers a 10% discount on pre-assigned seats and a low 3% discount on non-assigned seating.

In comparing to the orange/blue discount deal of previous years where passengers can get up to a 35% discount, many people consider the tickets prices this year to be much more expensive.

The new 30% discount deal also comes with several limitations; for example, tickets must be bought 15 days in advance, and peak hours are not even open for bids.

Many people are complaining that the THSR discount deals are decreasing.

Even though this year's early bird deal offers a slight discount, passengers say that the deal still comes as a challenge for many.