KTX, With Twice the Seats, Eases the Chronic Seat Shortage
"Purple Train Confusion"...Growing Pains on the First Day of Transition
Concerns That "Fares Might Go Up"
On the 25th, 15-year-old Kim Taemin was photographing a Korea Train Express train with a camera on the platform at Suseo Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Ahead of the integration of the country's two major high-speed rail operators, Korea Train Express and Super Rapid Train, pilot cross-operations began today, with Korea Train Express entering Suseo Station, which had been exclusive to Super Rapid Train, for the first time. Photo by Choi Seoyoon
At 1:12 p.m. on the 25th, a blue Korea Train Express (KTX) train entered the platform at Suseo Station in Seoul that had been reserved exclusively for Super Rapid Train (SRT) services. Since SRT service began in 2016, only the purple SRT trains had stopped there for nearly 10 years. People gathered on the platform stopped and repeatedly took photos of the KTX with their phones or cameras. Park Seou (11, Gangdong-gu, Seoul), who said he came to Suseo Station specifically after hearing the news about the cross-operation, said, "This used to be a station where only SRT came in, so it feels strange to see KTX, which is like the 'senior' of high-speed rail, coming in."
Starting that day, a pilot cross-operation began, with KTX departing from Suseo Station and SRT departing from Seoul Station. This is the first implementation step in the government's high-speed rail integration initiative. President Lee Jaemyung pledged high-speed rail integration as a campaign promise in the presidential election, and in December last year the government announced a "roadmap for integrating the dual high-speed rail system," setting a goal of completing institutional integration by the end of this year. The purpose of this pilot operation is to verify in an actual commercial environment whether trains can be operated flexibly without distinguishing between the origin and terminus of Seoul Station versus Suseo Station, or between the KTX and SRT train types.
On the 25th, Korea Train Express (KTX) (left) and Super Rapid Train (SRT) were standing side by side on the platform at Suseo Station in Gangnam District, Seoul. During the pilot cross-operation period, KTX operates one daily round trip between Suseo Station and Busan Station, and SRT operates one daily round trip between Seoul Station and Busan Station. Photo by Choi Seoyoon
According to Korail, the KTX that departed from Busan Station and arrived at Suseo Station that day carried 1,574 passengers in total, including those boarding and alighting at intermediate stations. Of these, 1,064 passengers got off at Suseo Station alone. In other words, more than 1,000 passengers disembarked at Suseo Station from a train with 955 seats. On the KTX from Suseo to Busan, all first-class seats were sold out, and only 150 standard seats remained.
The basic configuration of SRT trains departing from Suseo was 10 cars with 410 seats, and they were often fully booked. Jeon Jeonggeun (37), who frequently travels between Busan and Seoul for work, said, "SRT trains were often sold out, so I had to book 2 to 3 weeks in advance," adding, "There is no reason for Korail and SR to be separated into two companies, so I hope integration will make things more convenient." Kim Seonwoo (24, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul) also said, "Ticket reservations were so competitive that people called it a 'reservation war,' but I think integration will improve the situation."
KTX attendant Kim Hyuna said, "We had a wheelchair user who boarded at Dongdaegu, and they were pleased that they could now come by KTX to a station close to a large hospital." Jeong Gyeonghee (79, Dalseo-gu, Daegu), who was waiting at Suseo Station for a KTX bound for Busan, said, "My relatives and college classmates live near Suseo Station, so I visit Seoul often," adding, "Now, even when I take KTX, I do not have to go all the way to Seoul Station and can conveniently use Suseo Station instead."
On the 25th, passengers at the platform of Suseo Station in Gangnam District, Seoul, are boarding a KTX bound for Busan. The car number display shows SRT and KTX numbers side by side. Photo by Choi Seoyun
Not everyone was simply optimistic. Kim Taemin (15, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) said, "SRT is 10% cheaper than KTX, so after integration the fares might go up." In fact, SR has estimated that over the past 9 years it has reduced the public's transportation costs by 884.4 billion won by charging fares that are 10% lower than KTX. It remains uncertain whether this benefit will continue after integration.
Currently, KTX fares from Suseo are set at the same level as the existing SRT fares from Suseo, and SRT fares from Seoul are on average 10% lower than the existing KTX fares from Seoul. However, because KTX fares from Suseo are cheaper, mileage points are not accrued on those tickets.
The KTX train that arrived at Suseo Station that day was delayed by 4 minutes compared with its originally scheduled arrival time of 1:08 p.m.
KTX train team leader Kim Piljong explained, "Passengers who were used to seeing only SRT mistook the purple train next to them for the train going to Suseo, so around departure time passengers got mixed up." He said, "Because they were scheduled to depart at almost the same time, people were going back and forth between this platform and that platform, which caused delays from the very start." In effect, the habits formed over 10 years of separate operation collided on the very first day.
The delay was also affected by the fact that the driver entered the station at a slower speed than usual because many reporters and citizens had gathered to film KTX entering Suseo Station for the first time. Kim said, "We will carry out publicity and guidance more carefully going forward."
Hwang Guk (49), who boarded at Busan Station, said, "I saw the news this morning and decided to take this train," adding, "KTX is older than SRT. It also stops at nine stations, which is a lot." The aging of KTX-1 rolling stock, which was introduced in 2004, is one of the issues that must be addressed in the integration process.
When you search for trains from Busan to Suseo in the Koreiltok App, Super Rapid Train (SRT) services are displayed together, but to book a ticket you must install the SRT App separately. Screenshot of the Koreiltok App.
The ticket reservation systems remain separate, so passenger inconvenience is expected to be unavoidable for the time being. Currently, KTX tickets can be booked only through Korail's "KorailTalk" application and website, while SRT tickets can be booked only through the SR app and website.
Although demand has been confirmed, it is also difficult to expect additional services to be added in the short term. A Korail official said, "Given that tickets are sold starting one month in advance under the current system, we plan to maintain the current one round trip per day for at least a month," adding, "Any changes to departure times or increases in the number of services will be decided after consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."
The government plans to conduct a pilot multiple-unit operation linking KTX-Sancheon and SRT in the first half of this year, and then expand to fully integrated operations in the second half, allowing trains to run freely between Seoul Station and Suseo Station. Within this year, the reservation and ticketing systems and the fare structures will also be unified.
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