Train linking Incheon, Gimpo opens to public on March 23

The train that will eventually connect Korea’s two biggest airports to downtown Seoul opens its first leg to the public on March 23.
The Incheon Airport Train will initially shuttle between Incheon International Airport and Gimpo Airport. It is scheduled to link to Seoul Station by 2010.
Journalists were given a test run yesterday from Gimpo, where the train station is next to the subway station. The regular trip, which makes four stops between the two airports, will take 33 minutes and cost 3,100 won ($3.30). The express train will take 28 minutes for a price of 7,900 won.
By comparison, a bus takes about 30 minutes and costs 4,500 won.
The regular trains are scheduled every 12 minutes and start from the B3 track. The express train runs on the B4 track and comes once an hour.
The six-compartment train is mostly blue in color and has many wide windows. The seats look the same as the ones on the subway, and there is no separate space for travelers’ luggage. The train travels at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour.

By Kang Kap-saeng JoongAng Ilbo [enational@joongang.co.kr]