SRT high-speed trains to get new routes before Chuseok

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SRT high-speed trains to get new routes before Chuseok

Published: 05 Apr. 2023, 15:09

A high-speed Super Rapid Train (SRT) [JOONGANG ILBO]

The daily high-speed Super Rapid Train (SRT) will expand service starting this September by adding routes to Changwon and Jinju in South Gyeongsang, Suncheon and Yeosu in South Jeolla and Pohang in North Gyeongsang.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, over 3.8 million residents in the country’s southern areas will benefit from the new routes.

The inclusion into the SRT of the Gyeongjeon Line, which would run from Suseo Station in southern Seoul to Jinju in South Gyeongsang, was one of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s pledges when he ran for president.

The SRT's two main routes are the Gyeongbu and Honam lines: the Gyeongbu Line connects Suseo to Busan, while the Honam Line connects Suseo to Mokpo, South Jeolla.

Provincial residents living near the newly added stations who wish to visit Gangnam in southern Seoul or southeastern Gyeonggi currently need to transfer to the SRT at Dondaegu Station or Iksan Station, or take the KTX to Seoul Station in central Seoul or Gwangmyeong Station in Gyeonggi and take a bus or subway, adding another hour to their trip.

The ministry aims to open the new routes before Chuseok, which falls on Sept. 29 this year, after administrative processes are completed, including personnel training and safety checks.

“We will actively promote establishing the country’s railway network through new businesses on high-speed trains,” said the head of the Transport Ministry’s Railway Bureau.

“Train operations will be expanded so that many citizens will benefit from railway service.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]