2.19 Million Passengers Use Unjeongjungang?Seoul Station Section in First 60 Days
Commuting Times Halved Compared to Subway, One-Third of Bus Travel Time
Additional Trains to Be Deployed Next Month as Rush Hour Demand Surges
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on February 27 that 2.19 million passengers have used the Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX)-A line between Unjeongjungang and Seoul Station in the 60 days since its opening.
Traveling on this line from Unjeongjungang Station to Seoul Station takes 22 minutes, which is about half the time of the existing subway and one-third the time of metropolitan buses. The daily average number of passengers was recorded at 36,557. On weekdays, the average was 41,755, which is 83% of the initial projection. On holidays, the average reached 36,815, or 94% of the forecast.
When the GTX-A Suseo~Dongtan section opened in April last year, the daily average number of passengers was around 7,000, about half of the initial estimate. Nearly a year later, this number has increased to 15,708, reaching 73% of the projected figure. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained, "The Suseo~Dongtan section has steadily improved connecting transportation infrastructure since opening, enhancing convenience. Additionally, public awareness of the new transportation mode has increased."
For the Unjeongjungang~Seoul Station section, initial stabilization of operations has been completed, and additional trains will be deployed starting next month. The interval between trains during rush hour will be reduced from the current 10 minutes to about 6 minutes and 15 seconds. So far, most passengers have used the line during commuting hours.
On March 1, improvements will also be made to GTX Yeonsinnae Station. Until now, passengers using Yeonsinnae Station had to use the subway Line 3 and Line 6 entrances to access the GTX, causing inconvenience. Moving forward, a dedicated entrance will be available. At GTX Seoul Station, a dedicated transfer passage connecting to subway Line 1 has been in operation since February 15.
At GTX Unjeongjungang Station, two Paju-type Bus Rapid Transit (PBRT) routes connected to the GTX station began operation on February 8, making it more convenient to travel between northern Paju and the GTX station. Yoon Jinwhan, Director of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "With the opening of the GTX Unjeongjungang~Seoul Station section, commuting times have been significantly reduced compared to existing transportation options. We will continue our efforts to ensure stable operations."
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