Train Tickets for Sale on Internet

A new service is being set up which will allow customers to book train tickets and pay for them on the Internet.

On May 8, the Korean National Railroad (KNR) set up an Internet homepage (www.barota.com) for KNR members.

On this site members will have access to train tickets, major hotel rooms all over the world, domestic lodgings (including condos and home-stays), and rental car services.

The KNR is also planning to provide an advanced service by the end of this year, allowing customers can reserve seats using their KNR membership card.

This service will operate on a system in which payment and ticketing are done at the same time as booking. Thus, customers will be able to board trains just by showing their membership cards.

The present system requires that all booked customers, including those with membership cards, buy tickets at a train station or travel agency prior to boarding. There are currently 900,000 KNR members, which comprise 10.9 percent of the total number of people using KNR trains.

by Choi Jun-ho