[WHY] Why 'hell trains' still exist on Seoul subways

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Published: 10 Jun. 2023, 07:00

[WHY] Why 'hell trains' still exist on Seoul subways

Passengers wait for a subway train at the platform of Sindorim Station on line No. 1 on Nov. 7, 2022. [YONHAP]

Taking the subway during rush hour in Seoul is a nightmare, some say.

During these rides, it is a common sight to see passengers at the platforms pushing and hurling their bodies into an already-packed train car that seems almost impossible to even place a toe in.

And this is why subways during rush hour are commonly referred to as “hell trains” here.

The extremely high congestion level is worrying for many people, especially after two people passed out on a train car on the Gimpo Gold Line connecting the city of Gimpo to the Gimpo International Airport Station in Gangseo District, western Seoul in April.

Over 150 reports related to safety on that particular line have been made since it started operating in September 2019, including cases of people fainting while standing on the train car.

The government and metro operators are hastily coming up with measures to deal with the issue, including offering extra buses that cover the same route, but is it enough to alleviate overcrowding on these so-called hell trains?

Why do train cars on the Gimpo Gold Line get overcrowded?

The Gimpo city government is responsible for failing to predict the overcrowding problem and specifically designing the line’s stations for only two cars. This decision was made under the pressure of a tight budget, with an initial plan to construct four train cars moving on the line ultimately scrapped.

The city's population also rose over twofold in the past decade, from 238,000 in 2010 to 510,000 in January this year, increasing the competition for Gimpo subway users.

“It’s hard to get on the Gimpo Gold Line during rush hour and even when I’m on it I get pushed and suffocated,” an office worker in her 30s who uses this route from her home in Gimpo to work said.

“Sometimes I feel like I can’t even breathe properly.”

Commuters try to get on a crowded train car at Gochon Station on Gimpo Gold Line on May 9. [YONHAP]

The average density on Gimpo Gold Line’s train cars can rise as high as 280 percent on average.

The capacity of one train car — 60.84 square-meters — is 160 people, and each car is considered 100 percent full when 160 riders are in a car.

Unlike most metropolitan subway lines that are run by government institutions, the Gimpo Gold Line is operated by a private company, and this is seen as a key contributing factor to its woes.

“The recent issue in regards to the safety on the Gimpo Gold line, a fully automated metro, is largely due to the lack of resources as this specific subway line is run by a private company [that aims to cut cost as much as possible],” said Kwak Sang-log, a professor at the Korea National University of Transportation’s railway engineering department, adding that the private company lacks the capability to increase investment in safety compared to government institutions.

Related authorities, including the Gimpo city government, are urgently drawing up measures to resolve the overcrowding issue, such as scheduling extra buses for the same route along the line last month.

But the number of passengers using the subway dropped by only 3.5 percent in the last week of May after these buses began operating, compared to the week before they were added, according to the city government.

Passengers getting off from Gimpo International Airport Station walk to transfer to another subway line on May 26. [NEWS1]

Is Gimpo Gold Line the only one that is facing such a problem?

No, multiple subway lines in Seoul face issues with overcrowding during rush hours.

Line No. 9, operated by Seoul Metro Line Nine Corporation, is another subway line facing similar issues to the Gimpo Gold Line, with a congestion rate rising up to 150 percent on average.

Line No. 2 is another subway line that is very busy during rush hour.

An average number of 10,597 people got on and off Shillim Station on this line in April from 8 to 9 a.m., the busiest hour at the station, according to data portal Insfiler. The second busiest timeframe was 6 to 7 p.m.

People get off a subway train at Sindorim Station on line No. 1 on March 20 [YONHAP]

In fact, subways were the most favored transportation system used by the public in 2021, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. People took the subway 4.61 million times a day on average.

The extensive network of subways in Seoul may be one reason, as some 23 different subway lines travel across Seoul and extend into the city from neighboring metropolitan areas such as Incheon and Gyeonggi.

This network includes lines No. 1 to 9, and others, such as Bundang Line, Gyeongui Line, Shinbundang Line, Suin Line, Jungang Line, Gyeongchun Line and the Airport Express. Subways on these lines mostly operate from 5:30 a.m. to around 12 a.m. or later, depending on the day of the week.

But are subways in Seoul only known for high congestion?

Seoul subways are complimented as being one of the best modes of transportation in the world, particularly when it comes to facilities, services and the system itself.

Seoul subways ranked No. 1 on the World's Best Subway Systems list compiled by London-based property developer Essential Living this year, which considered multiple factors, including step-free access features, such as wheelchair ramps, and ticket prices.

“I think one of the best features of Seoul subways is the transfer system,” said Yize Huang, a 22-year-old Chinese student.

“I was surprised to see that we do not need to pay additional fares when we transfer from subways to buses and vice versa.”

The transfer system, or hwanseung, reduces the overall cost of public transportation in the country. In the case of the greater Seoul area, including Incheon and Gyeonggi, people do not need to pay the full fare for every ride but instead pay additional fares as low as 100 won if they transfer to another mode of public transportation within 30 minutes after getting off. An individual can tap and transfer up to four times under the minimum fare.

Tapping a credit card to transfer to another metro line on May 17, 2022 [YONHAP]

“In terms of the fare itself, I think it is a bit pricier than China but much cheaper than Japan,” Huang said.

The basic fare price to take the subway in Seoul is 1,250 won ($0.9) if payment is made via a transport or credit card. The price has been the same for almost eight years since it was raised by 200 won in June 2015.

Tokyo’s regular ticket fare starts from 180 yen ($1.3) for the first six kilometers, according to Tokyo Metro. For the same distance, the price of Beijing subway tickets begins from 3 yuan ($0.4), according to Travel China Guide.

Seoul’s subway fare had long been a burden on the city as the city government ran losses due to the relatively low fare. Seoul Metro, which operates most subway lines in the city including lines No. 1 to 8 and parts of No. 9, has been facing a debt of nearly one trillion won over the past two years.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would raise the subway fares by 300 won this April, but the move was pushed to the second half of the year.

Raising the fare by 300 won will write off 316.2 billion won of losses, while raising the fare by 400 won will reduce 421.7 billion won of losses, according to the city government.

Are there any other perks of using Seoul subways?

“For me, it was sensational to see how there were so many physical stores that sold clothes and accessories at such cheap prices on my way to take the subway,” said 25-year-old Han, a Korean who has also lived abroad in China and the United States.

Gotomall, an underground shopping mall at Express Bus Terminal Station [YONHAP]

The biggest underground shopping mall in the country is the Goto Mall which connects Seoul subway lines No. 3, 7 and 9 at Express Bus Terminal Station and has at least 620 stores.

When getting on a train, passengers can also select cars with different air conditioning levels.

“We received around 570,000 complaints from passengers regarding the temperature on train cars last year,” a spokesperson for Seoul Metro said, adding that the number is more than half of the total reports received in 2022.

“As there are always passengers telling us that the train is hot and cold at the same time, we recommend [for those who feel cold] moving to a car with weak air conditioning.”

Most lines have two cars that offer weak air conditioning for people who wish to avoid fully powered air conditioning on the train. In the case of lines No.1, 3 and 4, the fourth and seventh cars are generally labeled as the “weak air-conditioned” cars.

Internet availability on subways is another feat that excites many subway users. Public Wi-Fi services have been available on Seoul subways since 2011.

For people needing assistance while traveling, such as older adults and children, there are reserved seats just for them. Around 30 percent of the available seats on Seoul subways are such seats, including specially designated seats for pregnant women.

Reserved seats for pregnant women [YONHAP]

These seats are instantly recognizable as they are two pink seats on each end of a row of seats.

Passengers are advised to leave these seats empty, even when there are no pregnant women to occupy them. Expectant mothers receive a keychain-like tag from the government which alerts fellow passengers to their status.

Lessons learnt from accidents and crimes

Despite all these services and systems, subways have played host to some major accidents and crimes.

Stalker-killer Jeon Joo-hwan’s murder of a woman at Sindang Station in Seoul alarmed many members of the public last year as line No.2, on which the station is located, was the most frequently used subway line in the capital city last year.

Jeon, a former Seoul Metro employee, fatally stabbed his colleague whom he had been stalking in a bathroom in Sindang Station on Sept. 14, 2022. The incident rattled both the public and also metro employees.

“At least two metro staffers patrol the platforms together as a group after the tragic Sindang Station murder,” a spokesperson from Seoul Metro said.

A passerby leaves a message near a women's bathroom in Sindang Station on Sept. 16, 2022 to commemorate the death of the victim killed by stalker-murderer Jeon Joo-hwan. {YONHAP]

The number of crimes on Seoul subways hit 2,890 last year, a sharp rise from 667 in 2020 which was a new low due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Seoul Metro.

Parts of the subway system have also evolved after lessons were learnt from some deadly accidents.

Platform screen doors have been installed in subways across the country since 2004, when a 40-something-year-old woman died after she was pushed by another person at Hoehyeon Station on line No. 4 and hit by an incoming train.

Seats on subway trains are also now made of inflammable materials, such as stainless steel, after an arsonist set fire to a Daegu Metro subway train in 2003, killing 192 people.

Yet minor accidents still continue to take place.

On Thursday, some 14 people were injured after an escalator suddenly went into reverse at a subway station on the Bundang Line in Gyeonggi during the morning rush hour.

The Korea Railroad Corporation, which operates the metropolitan subway line, apologized for the accident and promised to come up with measures to prevent similar accidents moving forward.

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

korea joongAng daily

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[WHY] Why 'hell trains' still exist on Seoul subways

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