Gwangju Civic Groups Call for KTX-SRT Integration to Resolve Transportation Infrastructure Issues

The Gwangju Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Gwangju Civic Organizations Council held a press conference on the morning of the 22nd in front of Gwangju Songjeong Station in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Photo by the Gwangju Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

Labor and civic groups in Gwangju have argued that integrating the operations of KTX and Suseo High-Speed Railway (SRT) is necessary to resolve transportation infrastructure issues in the Honam region, including the shortage of high-speed rail seats.

The Gwangju Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Gwangju Civic Organizations Council held a press conference on the morning of the 22nd in front of Gwangju Songjeong Station in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, stating, "Because KTX and SRT are operated by different companies, their schedules are managed separately, causing inconvenience."

They further emphasized, "If Korea Railroad Corporation, which operates KTX, is also allowed to operate SRT, it would be possible to freely adjust the train schedules, resulting in an average of 20 additional runs per day. The Suseo to Gwangju Songjeong section would see an increase of about 4,000 seats per day."

They also explained, "The claim that operating under a competitive system would lead to lower fares or improved services is either ineffective or not true. When there are no seats available for reservation and passengers are forced to travel standing, service competition is meaningless."

They stated, "Lower fares are not the result of competition, but rather a policy decision by the government. In fact, the Mugunghwa-ho train connecting Boseong, Hwasun, and Beolgyo to Seoul has been discontinued, as well as the Jeolla Line night Mugunghwa-ho and the Gwangju Line commuter train. Integrating high-speed rail operations is neither complicated nor time-consuming. Even considering the procedures and system integration for Korea Railroad Corporation to take over SR Corporation's rail business, as well as the notification period, six months would be sufficient."

They added, "There are five months left until next year’s Lunar New Year holiday. The government should take action so that citizens can use integrated trains during the holiday."