Transportation in South Korea is provided by extensive networks of railways, highways, bus routes, ferry services and air routes that traverse the country. South Korea is the third country in the world to operate a maglev train, which is an automatically run people mover at Incheon International Airport.
Incheon, formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City, is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. Today, about 3 million people live in the city, making it South Korea's third-most-populous city after Seoul and Busan.
The Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a metropolitan railway system consisting of 23 rapid transit, light metro, commuter rail and people mover lines located in northwest South Korea. The system serves most of the Seoul Metropolitan Area including the Incheon metropolis and satellite cities in Gyeonggi province. Some regional lines in the network stretch out beyond the Seoul Metropolitan Area to rural areas in northern Chungnam province and western Gangwon province, that lie over 100 km (62 mi) away from the capital.
The Korea Railroad Corporation, 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 ones 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.
The Gyeongchun Line is a regional rail line between Seoul and Chuncheon, South Korea, operated by Korail. Its name is derived from Gyeong and Chuncheon. It was completely reconstructed in the 2000s. Service on it has operated between Sangbong station on the Jungang Line in eastern Seoul and Chuncheon station, as part of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system, since December 21, 2010. A class of regional rail service named ITX-Cheongchun began operations on February 28, 2012, linking Chuncheon to Cheongnyangni and Yongsan Stations.
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.
Yongsan Station is a major railway station in the Yongsan District of Seoul, South Korea. The station adjoins the Yongsan Electronics Market. The station is the terminus for high-speed and long-distance trains on a number of railway lines, including most trains on the Honam Line, its high-speed counterpart, and all trains on the Janghang and Jeolla Lines.
Yongsan District is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea.
In Seoul, public transit buses are operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and private bus operators.
AREX is a South Korean airport rail link and commuter rail line that links Incheon International Airport with Seoul Station via Gimpo International Airport. The section between the two airports opened on March 23, 2007, and line was extended to Seoul Station on December 29, 2010. Long-distance Korea Train Express high speed trains started to use the line from June 30, 2014, but discontinued service in March 2018 due to low ridership.
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.
Cheongnyangni Station (청량리역) is a major railway station located at Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It serves as a terminus for passenger trains serving the eastern part of South Korea. KTX, ITX-Cheongchun, and Mugunghwa-ho trains terminates or stops at this station. Several Seoul Metropolitan Subway lines serve the station. These are: Seoul Subway Line 1, the Gyeongchun Line, the Suin–Bundang Line and the Gyeongui–Jungang Line.
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.
Seoul, officially Seoul Special City, serves as the capital of South Korea, and is its most extensive urban center. The broader Seoul Capital Area, encompassing Gyeonggi province and Incheon metropolitan city, emerged as the world's fourth largest metropolitan economy in 2014, trailing only Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles, hosting more than half of South Korea's population. Although Seoul's population peaked at slightly over 10 million, it has gradually decreased since 2014, standing at approximately 9.97 million residents as of 2020. Seoul is the seat of the South Korean government.
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.
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 April 1, 2004. Currently, South Korea hosts two high-speed rail operators: Korea Train eXpress (KTX) and Super Rapid Train (SRT).
Cheong-na International City is a development project in Seo-gu, Incheon, Korea. Cheong-na International City is built on a nearly two million square foot plot of land that expects a maximum population of 90,000. The city is located on the coast and near to Yeongjong Island and Incheon International Airport to Seoul via the Incheon International Airport Expressway, the Kyeong-in Expressway, the Incheon International Airport Railroad, and the Kyeong-in Ferry Line.
Intercity Train eXpress-Cheongchun abbreviated as ITX-Cheongchun (Korean: ITX-청춘) is a class of train operated by Korail, the national railroad of South Korea, it was introduced on February 28, 2012. ITX-Cheongchun is the successor of the Gyeongchun Line Mugunghwa-ho which operated until December 2010. It is the only Limited express in Korea, and offers services comparable to those in Japan. In fact, it is known to benchmarking Japan's Limited express. Also, Korea's first double-decker coach was applied. This train connects Seoul, Guri, Namyangju, Gapyeong and Chuncheon. The ITX-Cheongchun trains have a faster average speed of 180 kilometers per hour.
