[Commuting Hell Liberation Diary]③ 100-Minute Commute Time... "Transfer Section Bottlenecks Are Everyday Occurrence"

Commuting Together from Siheung-si, Gyeonggi to Mapo-gu, Seoul
Takes 1 Hour 41 Minutes... 21 Minutes Longer Than Expected
Metropolitan Bus Highly Desired... Shuttle Bus Plan Failed
Bottlenecks Occur as Crowds Pour Out at Transfer Points
"We Hope for Public Transportation Connecting Southern Gyeonggi and Northern Seoul"

Editor's NoteThe first article of the 'Commuting Hell Liberation Diary' focused on accompanying sources who spend long hours commuting or attending school from the metropolitan area to Seoul, highlighting the reality of 'commuting hell.' However, considering that the sources' homes, workplaces, schools, and even personal lives were disclosed in the article, we respected their wishes to avoid privacy exposure and therefore reported using pseudonyms instead of real names.

On September 16, we accompanied Mr. Park Hyun-su (alias, 37), who commutes from Siheung-si, Gyeonggi Province to Mapo-gu, Seoul. Mr. Park departed at 7:37 a.m. and was only able to arrive at his company by 9:18 a.m. The photo shows Mr. Park moving slowly due to a bottleneck caused by a sudden crowd at the transfer section around 8:16 a.m. Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Seoyul] On the morning of September 16th at 7:37 AM, I met Mr. Park Hyunsoo (pseudonym, 37) in front of his home in Janghyeon-dong, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi Province, who commutes to Ahyeon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Mr. Park gave an embarrassed smile, saying, "There are people who come from farther away than me, so I'm not sure if I should step forward." According to Naver Maps, the estimated time was '1 hour and 20 minutes.' However, this seemed to assume that the subway arrives perfectly on time without any delays. In reality, the commute took 1 hour and 41 minutes that day.

Mr. Park is a native of Seoul, born and raised there. After getting married and starting a family, he decided he needed to own a home as apartment prices kept rising. However, with limited housing supply in Seoul, he had no choice but to look toward nearby Gyeonggi Province. Fortunately, he succeeded in applying for a housing unit in the Janghyeon district of Siheung. Although he secured a home for his family, the luxury of a relaxed commute disappeared. He said, "When I lived in Seoul, my commute took 40 to 50 minutes, which I thought was long, but now I realize that time was truly precious."

Mr. Park starts his day with a walking exercise because it takes 16 minutes on foot from his complex to the subway station. Still, he said this was the best part of his entire commute. It's much better than being squeezed in the subway with no room to move. Having lived in Siheung since May, he has experienced summer commutes. Although he sweated profusely as if losing weight, he endured the hassle of carrying a change of clothes.

Misdiagnosis at 7:53. As the subway's expected arrival time approached, Mr. Park was running toward Siheung City Hall Station.
Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

The 'red bus' is an object of envy for Mr. Park. Watching people waiting for the red-colored express buses heading to the Gangnam area, he said, "I feel envious." There are almost no buses that go directly to the Gangbuk area. To make his commute more comfortable, he even tried to organize a shuttle bus by gathering nearby residents commuting from Siheung Janghyeon district to the northwest of Seoul (Yeongdeungpo, Yeouido, Gongdeok, Gwanghwamun, etc.). They quickly reached the minimum number of passengers and completed payment, and it seemed the plan would proceed. However, for some reason, the article assignment was delayed for a long time, and some residents gave up registering, so the plan was abandoned.

"Oh, safe!" It was 7:55 AM when he arrived at the Siheung City Hall Station platform. He almost missed a subway train right in front of him, but as the station approached, he ran with others and luckily boarded the subway immediately. The Seohae Line, which had picked up many passengers from the previous station, was standing room only equal to the number of seats. Mr. Park found a spot in front of a seat and stood, saying, "Now it begins," and added, "Still, the Seohae Line is the most comfortable." He pointed to a pole next to the subway door, saying, "My favorite spot is over there." It took 16 minutes from Siheung City Hall Station to Sosa Station, where he could transfer to Line 1.

8:17 AM. At Sosa Station, a transfer station between the Seohae Line and Line 1, a bottleneck occurred due to the rush of commuters heading to work. As the passageways to the platform narrowed, the waiting lines at the transfer gates also grew longer. Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

Upon getting off at Sosa Station, a scene of a massive crowd unfolded. The bottleneck phenomenon usually seen on highways was happening in the subway. Passengers transferring from the Seohae Line all got off at once and started moving slowly. Mr. Park began climbing the stairs half a step at a time. However, there was one more hurdle. The passage to the platform was reduced to a single escalator, causing a crowd there as well. It took 8 minutes to reach the Line 1 platform. Since a train had just passed, the waiting interval felt long. While waiting, the arriving Seohae Line train caused the queue to lengthen again, forming three lines.

At 8:32 AM, Line 1 arrived at Sosa Station. Mr. Park advised, "If you stand near the door, you'll be pushed along by the crowd at Sindorim Station, so it's better to stand near the seats." Because people's movement range was limited, even a slight jolt of the subway made passengers apologize to those next to them. A seat became available right before Mr. Park's eyes but was immediately taken by someone else. He said, "If you get lucky and sit down, you've used up your luck for the day."

8:42 AM. On the way to work, as Seoul Subway Line 1 passed through each station, the number of passengers increased, and the personal space per person gradually decreased.
Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

"I've used up my luck today." Luckily, another seat opened, and Mr. Park sat down but had to stand up soon after because he arrived at Singil Station to transfer to Line 5. During the entire commute, he only sat for 7 minutes. He said, "The hardest part of the morning schedule is commuting," and added, "I need to rest a bit at lunch to focus on work." He also mentioned, "After moving, my work has been significantly affected." When he got off at Singil Station, it was 8:57 AM. It was clear that the estimated time of 1 hour and 20 minutes on Naver Maps had already been exceeded.

The path to Line 5 at Singil Station was quite long. Still, a train arrived immediately upon his arrival, and Mr. Park exclaimed, "Wow~oh!" as if relieved. He said, "When you see Aeogae Station, you've accomplished the biggest task of the day." Although it was less crowded than the Seohae Line and Line 1, it was still insufficient to sit. A young man holding onto the handle near the entrance quickly picked up a dropped phone. He arrived at Aeogae Station at 9:14 AM.

It was only at 9:14 a.m. that Mr. Park arrived at Aeogae Station near his workplace. With the start of work imminent, Mr. Park had no choice but to go to work without properly greeting anyone. Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

At 9:18 AM, he arrived at his company and had to start work immediately without even exchanging greetings. Lastly, he said, "I hope public transportation for those commuting from the southern Gyeonggi area to the Gangbuk area will be established," and added, "I hope local governments have the will to resolve this." While wage labor officially starts now, the physical labor effectively began 1 hour and 41 minutes earlier.

※This project was supported by the Press Promotion Fund, funded by government advertising fees.