Heavy Rain Warning Issued for Seoul... Increased Subway and Bus Services During Commute Hours

From the 10th, Increased Public Transport Frequency and Last Train Times Extended by 30 Minutes

Due to the rise in the Han River water level, vehicle traffic has been restricted for the second day on major roads across Seoul. On the 7th, roads around the northern end of Mapo Bridge in Seoul were congested with vehicles during the morning commute. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As heavy rain continues to pour in the central region, Seoul City announced on the 9th that from the morning of the 10th until the heavy rain warning is lifted, the commuting and last train times will be extended by 30 minutes, and subway and bus services will be increased.

Currently, a heavy rain warning has been in effect in the Seoul area since 10:30 PM the previous night. Following the closures of Jamsu Bridge and Gaehwa Six Locks, Yangjaecheon-ro (Umyeon-ro → Yeongdong 1 Bridge) and Olympic-daero (Yeoui upstream and downstream IC) are also closed in both directions.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the ongoing heavy rain is forecasted to continue until the 14th, and during this period, it is expected that more citizens will leave their private cars behind and use public transportation for commuting.

Accordingly, Seoul Subway will extend the peak commuting hours by 30 minutes longer than usual. The morning commuting hours, normally from 7 AM to 9 AM, will be extended until 9:30 AM, increasing subway operations on lines 1 through 8 by 36 trips. The evening commuting hours, normally from 6 PM to 8 PM, will also be extended until 8:30 PM, adding 16 trips on lines 2 through 7.

The last train time, usually until midnight, will be extended to 12:30 AM the next day, resulting in a total increase of 95 trips on lines 1 through 9 and the Ui-Sinseol Line.

Buses will also extend all vehicles’ peak commuting and last service times by 30 minutes. Although bus services have been reduced by 5% on weekdays since the 29th of last month due to summer vacation and holiday periods, under this emergency measure, services will return to normal operation with approximately 350 additional buses deployed, and reserve vehicles will be dispatched on congested routes.

If many vehicles detour to surrounding roads due to road closures, dispatch may be delayed. Information on road traffic conditions and public transportation operations will be provided through bus information terminals (BIT) at stops, the TOPIS website (http://topis.seoul.go.kr/), and Twitter (@seoultopis).