High-Speed Rail Passengers Reach 119 Million Last Year, Doubling in Five Years

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Reports 2025 Rail Passenger Statistics

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on January 14 that the number of high-speed rail passengers, including KTX and SRT, reached 118.7 million last year. This figure represents a 2.6% increase from the previous year, marking an all-time high. Meanwhile, the number of general rail passengers slightly decreased to 53 million during the same period.

KTX accounted for approximately 93 million passengers, while SRT recorded around 26 million. On a daily average, this translates to about 254,000 passengers for KTX and 71,000 for SRT. The occupancy rates for high-speed rail were 110.5% for KTX and 131.0% for SRT. Five years ago, in 2020, the total number of high-speed rail passengers was around 61 million, meaning the figure has nearly doubled over the past five years.

The Ministry explained, "Overall demand for rail travel has increased, and the opening of the Jungang Line KTX-Eum in December 2024 attracted 2.75 million passengers, contributing to the growth in high-speed train usage." The Ministry added, "With the additional deployment of KTX-Eum on the Jungang Line and its new introduction on the Donghae Line in December last year, demand is expected to continue rising this year."

A KTX train is departing from Seoul Station with passengers on board, heading to its destination. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

The most heavily used route was the Gyeongbu Line, with 83.6 million passengers. Of these, 61.4 million used high-speed trains, while 22.2 million used general trains. Seoul Station was the busiest station, serving 43.9 million passengers, followed by Busan Station with 26.1 million, Dongdaegu Station with 20.5 million, Daejeon Station with 19.6 million, and Yongsan Station with 15.1 million.

To enhance ticketing convenience for transportation-vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities and the elderly, video consultation and remote support services have been introduced. New automatic ticket machines, equipped with wheelchair support, screen magnification, and sign language services, have been installed at 148 stations nationwide. These machines offer a variety of payment methods and multilingual functions, making them user-friendly for foreign travelers.

Kim Taebyeong, Director General for Rail Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "We will continue to expand the regions benefiting from high-speed rail and improve services, while ensuring safety at every stage from railway construction to operation so that the public can use rail transportation with peace of mind."