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.
Rapid transit systems operate in six major South Korean cities,except for Ulsan and Sejong.
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.
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 Subway Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway,dubbed the purple line,is a long line crossing from west to the east across the Seoul National Capital Area,South Korea. It is one of two subway lines in Seoul to cross under the Han River,which is done at two points. The main line runs through to Hanam Geomdansan Station while the branch line from Gangdong Station terminates at Macheon Station. In 2019,Line 5 carried an annual ridership of 334 million or about 915,000 passengers per day.
Seoul Subway Line 1 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit and commuter rail line which links central Seoul,South Korea to Yeoncheon station in the northeast,Incheon in the southwest,and Sinchang via Suwon and Cheonan in the south. The central underground portion of Line 1,running underneath Sejongno,Jongno,and Wangsan-ro avenues along Seoul's traditional downtown area,is the oldest subway-operated section in the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system. Its branches and services cover a large part of the Seoul Capital Area;totaling 200.60 km (124.65 mi) in route length.
Hyundai Rotem (Korean: 현대로템) is a South Korean company that manufactures rolling stock,defense products and plant equipment. It is a part of the Hyundai Motor Group. Its name was changed from Rotem to Hyundai Rotem in December 2007 to reflect the parent company. It is also called Hyundai Railroad Technology Systems.
Seoul Subway Line 3 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit service that connects Eunpyeong District to Gangnam and southeastern Seoul. Most trains head further northwest to serve Goyang via the Ilsan Line. In 2021,the Seoul Metro operated section had an annual ridership of 295,930,000 or 810,767 passengers per day.
Seoul Subway Line 4 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a long line crossing from the southwest to the northeast across the Seoul National Capital Area. The central section in Seoul City is operated by Seoul Metro with some trains offering through service to Korail's Ansan and Gwacheon Lines. The southern terminus (Oido) is in Jeongwang 4-dong,Siheung City,and the northern terminus (Jinjeop) is in Jinjeop-eup,Namyangju-si,Gyeonggi-do;the newly built northern section is correspondingly owned by a company owned by Namyangju-si,with operations contracted to Seoul Metro. In 2022,the Seoul Metro operated section had an annual ridership of 219,587,000 or about 601,608 passengers per day.
Seoul Subway Line 9,operated by Seoul Line9 Operation,is a subway line in Seoul,part of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The line runs east from Gaehwa station or Gimpo International Airport station along the south bank of the Han River towards VHS Medical Center in Gangdong. In 2019,Line 9 has an annual ridership of 225 million or about 616,000 people per day.
There are many types of trains in Seoul but they are generally similar to each other. All Seoul Metropolitan Subway rolling stock follow the Japanese-style commuter/subway train interior layout of all-longitudinal seating with luggage racks above seats. Typically,train cars have four pairs of doors on each side. In between the doors are rows of either cushioned or non-cushioned seats for 7 people,except for the outer ends of each wagon where there are smaller rows of seats for 3 people,marked for the use by the elderly,disabled passengers,and pregnant women.
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.
The Korail Class 1000 was a series of electric multiple units built in Seoul,South Korea for Seoul Subway Line 1. The cars were built in and entered service between 1974 and 1997. They were gradually retired from the late 1990s to 2020 by newer electric multiple unit trains.
Gwacheon Line is a metropolitan rail line operated by Korail in Gyeonggi Province,South Korea. All trains is operated as a through service into Seoul Metro's Line 4 and Ansan Line on the other end.
The Seohae Line is a dual-track,electrified rail line in western Gyeonggi-do and Seoul,South Korea. The Seohae Line is being built in four sections simultaneously. The line runs 47 km (29 mi) south from Ilsan in Goyang City,crosses the Han River,passes Gimpo Airport,Sosa,Siheung,and ends in Wonsi in Ansan. There is a transfer to different lines at Daegok,Neunggok,Gimpo Int'l Airport,Bucheon Stadium,Sosa and Choji. There are currently 21 stations (Ilsan-Wonsi). The line is operated by Korail,but the stations between Sosa and Wonsi are managed by SEO HAE RAIL CO.,LTD.,which is a subsidiary of Seoul Metro. The infrastructure is also owned by Korail so the line runs on the left like the rest of the South Korean mainline railway network.
The Korea Rail Pass,also commonly called the KR Pass,is a rail pass offered by Korail,the national railway operator of South Korea. The pass is offered exclusively to foreign visitors and is valid for most of the rail lines operated by Korail in the designated period,including KTX,the high-speed railway in South Korea. However,the pass is not valid for subways and tourist trains,even when they are also operated by Korail.
Seoul Transportation Corporation,branded as Seoul Metro,is a municipal-owned corporation owned by Seoul Metropolitan Government,and one of the two major operators of Seoul Metropolitan Subway with Korail.
The KTX-Eum or Korail Class 150000 is a South Korean high-speed electric multiple unit train manufactured by Hyundai Rotem and operated by Korail. The word 'eum' in Korean means 'uniting through connection'. This name was selected by members of the public,and expresses the desire to connect regions,people,and happiness through trains.
