Yangju City Mobilizes All Resources to Minimize Inconvenience for Residents Ahead of KORAIL Railway Strike

KORAIL Railway Union Announces Strike Starting 9 a.m. on the 23rd
Reduced Service on Subway Line 1... Inconvenience for Citizens Unavoidable
13 Standby City Buses and 8 Additional Chartered Buses to Be Deployed

Yangju City in Gyeonggi Province will implement emergency transportation measures to minimize inconvenience for residents, as the KORAIL railway labor union has announced a strike starting at 9 a.m. on December 23.

Aerial view of Yangju City Hall. Provided by Yangju City.

According to KORAIL, if the railway union goes on strike, commuter train operations will be reduced to 65-80% of normal levels.

Looking at major lines within the city: For Line 1, the number of train services will be reduced from 207 to 153 at Yangju Station, from 121 to 88 at Deokgye Station, and from 136 to 98 at Deokjeong Station, operating at an average of 73% of normal capacity. For the Gyoe Line, services will be reduced from 20 to 10, with trains running only during commuting hours.

As a result, congestion is expected to increase during rush hours due to the reduction in train services. During off-peak hours, when train intervals are already long, the reduction may extend intervals to over one hour, further increasing inconvenience for citizens using Line 1.

In response, the city will encourage local taxi operations and deploy 13 additional standby buses on city bus routes running between Yangju Station, Deokgye Station, and Deokjeong Station.

The standby vehicles to be deployed are as follows: one for route 31, one for route 118, three for route 80, two for route 81, two for route 82, two for route 87, and two for route 99, totaling 13 vehicles.

Additionally, starting December 24, five chartered buses will be deployed between Yangju Station and Dobongsan Station, and from December 25, three more chartered buses will be added to the Deokjeong Station-Deokgye Station-Yangju Station route.

An official from Yangju City stated, "While some inconvenience for citizens is unavoidable due to the reduction in train services caused by the KORAIL strike, the city will mobilize all available resources to minimize the impact. We ask that citizens check train schedules in advance and actively utilize alternative transportation options."