Faster train line from Seoul to Busan

Korail started running its new line between Seoul and Busan today, which will shave travel time between the two cities by about 37 minutes, from 2 hours and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 8 minutes.

The new line will run from Monday to Thursday and will leave Seoul at 9:45 a.m., arriving in Busan at 11:53 a.m. A train will depart Busan at 1:50 p.m. and arrive in Seoul at 3:58 p.m., Korail said yesterday.

Passengers have been demanding more trains between the two destinations. Korail will test the new, quicker service until Dec. 14 and decide whether to add more trips. The price will be the same as the old Seoul-Busan line, 51,800 won ($44.70) on weekdays and 55,500 won on weekends.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced yesterday it will provide discounts for passengers who transfer from taxis to Incheon International Airport shuttle buses, provided that they have a transit card and are in the Seoul or Incheon areas. The changes start today.

Passengers will save between 1,000 won and 2,000 won with the transfer discount.

For passengers who use T-money cards, their discounts will be converted into T-money mileage points, which they can use to buy goods at T-money affiliated stores. To get mileage, T-money transit card users need to sign up for T-money membership and register the cards at www.t-money.co.kr.

By Kim Mi-ju [mijukim@joongang.co.kr]