The high-speed train KTX celebrated its 19th anniversary this year. Over the past 19 years, KTX has carried more than 960 million passengers, traversing eight lines nationwide and covering a distance equivalent to 15,000 laps around the Earth's circumference (40,000 km).
According to Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) on the 1st, KTX was the fifth high-speed train in the world to open in 2004. Since its launch, it has operated over a cumulative distance of 590 million kilometers, establishing itself as a representative mode of transportation.
The KTX lines started with the Gyeongbu Line (Seoul to Busan) and Honam Line (Yongsan to Mokpo) sections (20 stations) in the year of opening and have since expanded to eight lines with 67 stations.
The daily number of KTX operations on weekends totals 364 trips (284 KTX trips and 80 KTX-Eum trips), nearly tripling from the initial 132 trips at launch.
The station with the highest daily ridership is Seoul Station, with about 92,000 passengers, which is 2.7 times higher than in 2004.
The station with the most significant increase in passengers is Cheonan-Asan Station, where the number of users has grown 6.2 times compared to 2004, reaching approximately 22,000 passengers.
KTX ridership sharply declined during the COVID-19 pandemic but has recently been on the rise again. As of last month (March), the daily number of KTX passengers reached about 220,000, recovering to pre-pandemic levels (around 190,000 daily passengers).
Notably, the average daily weekend ridership of KTX, which was about 150,000 during the same period last year, exceeded 260,000 this year, marking a 173% increase in a short period.
KTX is confirmed to be rapidly increasing its share among all railway passengers, leveraging its advantage of reduced travel time. For example, the proportion of KTX users among total railway passengers rose from 18% in 2004 to 42% in 2014 and 60% in 2022. As of last year, 6 out of 10 railway users take the KTX.
KORAIL has also improved railway services. A representative example is the ‘KORAIL Talk’ app, which has recorded over 11 million downloads. The rate of self-ticketing through non-face-to-face and online channels such as KORAIL Talk reached 88.2% in 2022. Conversely, the rate of ticket purchases at station counters plummeted from 85% in 2004 to the 10% range.
Additionally, KORAIL provides services that allow real-time checking of train arrival times and push notifications via the KORAIL Talk app to inform passengers of delays caused by natural disasters or other disruptions.
The app also includes a ‘Railway Crime Report’ feature, enabling passengers to report crimes occurring on trains immediately from the scene, with seat information instantly transmitted to the Railway Police Situation Room.
Meanwhile, to commemorate the 19th anniversary of KTX’s opening, KORAIL is conducting a lottery on the 1st for KORAIL membership members who used KTX, awarding 2,004 winners with a ‘30% discount coupon on KTX fares.’
From the 1st to the 2nd, 2,004 KORAIL membership members who use KTX will receive a mobile coupon worth 5,000 KRW for ‘KORAIL Distribution,’ which can be used at 950 stores in railway stations nationwide.
Ko Jun-young, Acting President of KORAIL, said, “We deeply thank the public for supporting KTX to grow into a representative domestic transportation means,” and added, “KORAIL will continue to strive to be the safest and most comfortable travel partner.”
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