High-speed rail service in South Korea began with the construction of a high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992, and was inspired by Japan's Shinkansen. The first commercial high-speed rail service was launched on 1 April 2004. Currently, South Korea hosts two high-speed rail operators: Korea Train eXpress (KTX) and Super Rapid Train (SRT).
The Railway Service Act [1] is the primary Korean law that codifies and defines the three types of railway lines. It states that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport should designate track lines and announce them before their commercial operation. [2] [3] There are three types of railway lines.
The Railway Service Act and its enforcement bodies categorize high-speed trains into three types as mentioned below. [4] [5] [6]
Lines generally start in Seoul and end in either the southwest or southeast area of the country. Seoul has three main KTX stations (Seoul Station, Yongsan Station, and Cheongnyangni Station). Seoul Station is mainly for the Gyeongbu and Gyeongjeon lines; Yongsan Station is mainly for the Honam and Jeolla lines; and Cheongnyangni Station for the Gangneung line. Additionally, Suseo station in southeast Seoul serves the SRT.
Only a few KTX trains use conventional lines to serve select stations such as Suwon, Gupo, and Nonsan. These trains are slower but more cost-efficient.
Some KTX trains proceed north from Seoul to Haengshin. [7]
KTX was the first high-speed rail service in South Korea, and is operated by Korail. The KTX-Sancheon line uses newly-built trains, which have improved seats and power plugs for each seat. KTX-I trains have fewer power plugs between the windows. There is no extra fare to ride on the KTX-Sancheon line.
Most KTX trains leave from Seoul Station or Yongsan Station and terminate in the cities of Busan, Gwangju, Mokpo, Yeosu, Gangneung and Jinju. Most major cities are served in between.
The KTX train is regarded as an easier, more comfortable, and cheaper way to get around South Korea than by air, particularly when factoring in the complications of security and getting to/from the airport. Ticket prices are slightly below the equivalent fare of the major airlines. The weekday Standard Class price from Seoul to Busan is around ₩57,000.
There are three types of KTX seat classes: First, Superior, and Standard. First-class has wider seats, free snacks, and bottled water. There are only First and Standard seats in KTX-I and KTX-Sancheon and there are only Superior and Standard seats in KTX-Eum.
The KTX service only runs domestically, although many hope that one day it could run through North Korea and onto the rest of Asia. Plans by South Korea and China to connect their networks through North Korea are unlikely to ever be fulfilled because of the North Korea's political rivalry with South Korea.
The SRT starts at Suseo station, located in southeastern Seoul, and is operated by SR. The line serves the same route as Gyeongbu and Honam KTX after Cheonanasan. It uses a separate booking system and app despite using the same trains. Offline tickets can be purchased from the Korail counters, similar to the regular KTX. It is slightly cheaper and more convenient to go to the district of Gangnam in Seoul. Most of the services by Korail such as the Korail pass will not be applied and there are fewer scheduled trains as well.
High-speed railway lines under construction | Planned high-speed railway lines |
The Korea Railroad Corporation (Korean: 한국철도공사; Hanja: 韓國鐵道公社, branded as KORAIL, is the national railway operator in South Korea. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation.
The Gyeongbu line (Gyeongbuseon) is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest in the country. It was constructed in 1905, connecting Seoul with Busan via Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu. It is by far the most heavily travelled rail line in South Korea.
The Honam Line is a major railway line serving the Honam region in South Korea. The line is served by frequent passenger trains from Seoul to Gwangju and Mokpo.
Korea Train eXpress (Korean: 한국고속철도), often known as KTX, is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004.
Seoul Station (Korean: 서울역) is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway.
The Gyeongjeon Line (Gyeongjeonseon) is a railway line serving South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla Provinces in South Korea. It covers a total of 300.6 km, from Samnangjin Station in Miryang, South Gyeongsang, to Gwangju Songjeong Station in Gwangju, South Jeolla.
The Mugunghwa-ho (Korean: 무궁화호) is a class of train operated by Korail, the main railway operator of South Korea. Mugunghwa trains are Korail's slowest tier of trains stopping at a number of towns and villages, and operating over a number of lines that are not served by other trains. Journey times are generally twice that of KTX trains and 25% longer than ITX express trains.
Rail transport in South Korea is a part of the transport network in South Korea and an important mode of the conveyance of people and goods, though railways play a secondary role compared to the road network. The network consists of 4,285 km (2,663 mi) of standard-gauge lines connecting all major cities with the exception of Jeju City on Jeju Island, which does not have railways; of the network, 2,790 km (1,730 mi) are double-tracked and 3,187 km (1,980 mi) are electrified. In 2018, rails carried 11.5 percent of all traffic in South Korea – 134.8 million passengers and 30.9 million tonnes of freight – with roads carrying 88.3 percent.
SuseoStation is a railroad station on the Suin–Bundang Line and Line 3 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The station is in the Suseo neighborhood of the Gangnam District in Seoul, South Korea. Prior to the Line 3 extension to Ogeum station in 2010, Suseo Station was the southeastern terminus of Line 3. Along with Yangjae station, Suseo Station serves as an important transfer point between Line 3 and buses from/to southern cities such as Seongnam, Yongin, and Suwon.
The Saemaeul-ho, formerly known as the Saemaul-ho and Saemaul Express, is a class of train operated by Korail, the national railroad of South Korea, since February 8, 1969. Before the introduction of the KTX express trains, the Saemaeul-ho was the fastest class of trains in South Korea, making the journey from Seoul to Busan in less than 5 hours. Saemaeul trains operated on several lines, but they now only operate on the Janghang Line.
Seoul, the capital and largest city in South Korea, accounts for only 0.6% of the country's total land area, yet it is home to around 19% of the population. The population density in Seoul demands a great deal of the city's transportation systems, which are regarded by many as among the best and most advanced in the world. Seoul is very well connected by its subway and bus systems, and the city is also very supportive of pedestrian foot travel. In 2006 it won the Sustainable Transport Award.
Cheonan–Asan station is a ground-level train station located mostly in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, although part of it lies in the neighboring city of Cheonan. This station serves high-speed KTX trains that run from Seoul to either Busan or Mokpo. It is connected to Asan station, a railway station on the Janghang Line which is also served by Line 1 of the Seoul Subway.
The Gyeongbu high-speed railway, also known as Gyeongbu HSR, is South Korea's first high-speed rail line from Seoul to Busan. KTX high-speed trains operate three sections of the line: on 1 April 2004, the first between a junction near Geumcheon-gu Office station, Seoul and a junction at Daejeonjochajang station north of Daejeon, and a second between a junction at Okcheon station, southeast of Daejeon, and a junction near Jicheon station, north of Daegu entered service; then on 1 November 2010, the third section, between a junction west of Daegu and Busan became operational. The missing gaps across the urban areas of Daejeon and Daegu were in construction for an expected opening in 2014, separate tracks into Seoul Station were also planned. The temporary ends of the three sections were connected to the parallel conventional Gyeongbu Line by tracks that will serve as interconnector branches upon the completion of the entire line. On 1 August 2015, construction on urban areas of Daejeon and Daegu were completed; all the sections of HSR line were connected.
The Honam high-speed railway, also known as Honam HSR, is a high-speed rail between Osong and Mokpo in South Korea. The line is a part of Korail's Korea Train Express (KTX) system, accelerating Seoul–Mokpo and Seoul–Gwangju KTX high-speed services which currently use the existing conventional Honam Line. On April 1, 2015, the line was inaugurated by the South Korean President Park Geun-hye with the attendance of 1200 invited guests and members of the public at Gwangju Songjeong Station in Gwangju, the line's terminus. The line diverges from Osong station on the Gyeongbu high-speed railway, and stops at Gongju, Iksan, Jeongeup Stations. Journey times between Seoul and Gwangju has been cut from 2 h 40 min to just 90 min, making daily commuting possible. The Honam HSR is intended to bring business, and economic opportunities to the province of Jeollanam-do, which has seen slower development than other parts of South Korea. The line has been open to the public since April 2, 2015 for revenue service.
Osong station is a train station on the Honam and Gyeongbu high-speed railways in Cheongju City, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at the intersection of the Gyeongbu KTX high-speed rail line, the conventional Chungbuk Line and, since April 2015, the Honam high-speed railway. KTX trains began calling there from November 1, 2010, bringing high-speed rail service to the nearby city of Cheongju.
The KTX-Sancheon is a South Korean high-speed train built by Hyundai Rotem in the second half of the 2000s and operated by Korail since March 2010. With a top speed of 305 km/h (189.5 mph), the KTX-Sancheon is the second commercial high-speed train operated in South Korea and the first domestic high-speed train that is designed and developed in South Korea.
The KTX-I, also known as the TGV-K or Korail Class 100000, is a South Korean high speed train class based on the French TGV Réseau. The 20-car formation of the trainsets without restaurant car is optimized for high capacity. The 46 trainsets were built partly in France and partly in South Korea in the framework of a technology transfer agreement, which was the basis for further domestic high-speed train development in South Korea.
The Super Rapid Train, often known as SRT, is a high-speed rail service operated by SR Corporation. The service starts at Suseo station in southeast Seoul and terminates at either Busan station or Mokpo station.
The Intercity Train eXpress-Saemaeul abbreviated as ITX-Saemaeul (Korean: ITX-새마을) is a class of train operated by Korail, the national railroad of South Korea, it was introduced on May 12, 2014, to replace the Saemaeul-ho. The new ITX-Saemaeul trains have a faster average speed of 150 kilometers per hour. The name was taken from the Saemaul Undong after a public competition to determine the new train's name.
The Suseo–Pyeongtaek high-speed railway, also known as Suseo–Pyeongtaek HSR, is a high-speed rail line from Suseo station in southeast Seoul to a junction with the existing Gyeongbu high-speed railway in South Korea. The line was built to ensure southeast Seoul and southern Gyeonggi-do have high-speed rail connections.