The cumulative number of KTX passengers has surpassed 1.2 billion.
Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) announced on November 17 that the cumulative number of KTX passengers has exceeded 1.2 billion, 21 years and 7 months after the service was launched.
KTX began its first operation on April 1, 2004, and has since traveled a total of 715.84 million kilometers. During this period, the total distance traveled by KTX passengers amounts to 297 billion kilometers, which is equivalent to 5,807 kilometers per person in Korea.
Notably, it took only 13 months to reach the 1.2 billion passenger milestone after hitting 1.1 billion on October 19 last year. Considering that it took about three years (until 2007) for KTX to reach its first 100 million cumulative passengers in its early years, this demonstrates a sharp increase in recent KTX ridership.
This growth in passenger numbers is closely linked to infrastructure expansion. Initially, KTX operated on two routes-the Gyeongbu Line (Seoul to Busan) and the Honam Line (Yongsan to Mokpo)-serving 20 stations. Currently, KTX operates on eight routes (Gyeongbu, Honam, Gyeongjeon, Jeolla, Donghae, Gangneung, Jungbunaeryuk, and Jungang) with 77 stations. Over the past 20 years, six new routes and 57 stations have been added.
As of this year, the average daily number of passengers is 251,000, a 3.5-fold increase from 72,000 at the time of opening in 2004. The most heavily traveled section is 'Seoul to Busan,' with approximately 19,000 passengers using KTX on this route each day. Seoul Station is the busiest station, with about 107,000 daily passengers.
The proportion of KTX passengers among all rail passengers has steadily increased from 18% in 2004 to 42% in 2014, and to 63% as of the end of last month. This means that, as of this year, more than six out of ten rail passengers are using KTX.
In particular, the number of regular KTX pass holders has reached 13,000 this year, an eightfold increase compared to the early days of operation. This demonstrates that KTX has established itself not only as a means of travel but also as a routine mode of commuting and daily transportation.
The increase in foreign rail passengers is also noteworthy. Driven by the popularity of Korean Wave content and international events such as APEC, the number of foreign passengers using KTX this year is expected to exceed 6 million. In response, KORAIL has completely revamped its multilingual website and, since last month, has been operating a dedicated 'Travel Center' for foreigners at Seoul Station.
Jung Jungrae, Acting President of KORAIL, stated, "Surpassing 1.2 billion cumulative KTX passengers is a valuable achievement accomplished together with the people," adding, "We hope for continued interest and support in replacing KTX with next-generation trains so that KTX can make daily life safer and more prosperous for everyone."
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