Rail travel in South Korea Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

South Korea is home to a modern and efficient national railway network connecting all the major mainland cities operated by the state-owned Korail. For most travellers, these are the most convenient way to get around mainland South Korea. It goes without saying, however, that you cannot take the train into North Korea.

South Korea's high speed services are branded as KTX, standing for Korea Train Express. It is operated by national train operator, KORAIL and mainly runs from and to Seoul Station. Since 2016, the competing SRT (for Super Rapid Train) by company SR offers very similar services on the core routes from Seoul (Suseo Station) to Busan and Mokpo.

Most KTX trains depart from or terminate at Seoul Station or Yongsan Station and terminate in the cities of Busan, Gwangju, Mokpo, Yeosu, Pohang, Gangneung and Jinju. Most major cities are served in between with some trains skipping stops. On certain sections of routes, KTX trainsets reach up to 300 km/h (186 mph) while technically able to go even faster.

The KTX train is regarded as an easier, more comfortable and cheaper way to get around South Korea than by plane. If you figure in security and getting to/from the airport it may also just be faster to go by train. Ticket prices are slightly below the equivalent airfare of the major airlines. The weekday Standard class price for Seoul-Busan is around ₩57,000.

There are two types of KTX seat; first class and standard class. First class is 50% more expensive but you get wider seats in a 1-2 arrangement, free bottled water and snacks. There is no restaurant on board but snack vending machines are installed.

There are four types of KTX trains: KTX, KTX-Sancheon, KTX-Eum and KTX-Cheongryong. The original KTX trains (sometimes named KTX-I) are in operation since 2004 and are directly derived from the French TGV, have few power plugs between the windows and overall denser seating, KTX-Sancheon is an updated version and has better seats with individual power plugs. KTX-Eum and KTX-Cheongryong are the latest and most advanced trainsets in service since 2023/2024. There is no extra fare for any of the types.

SR operates their high-speed SRT (for Super Rapid Train) services from Suseo station in southeastern Seoul. It serves the same route as the Gyeongbu and Honam KTX after Cheonan-asan. It uses separate booking system and app, but has same KTX-Sancheon train and its offline tickets can be bought from the Korail counters, just like the regular KTX. It is around 10% cheaper and can be more convenient if you're travelling to the Gangnam district or elsewhere in eastern Seoul. Most of the services by Korail such as the Korail pass will not be applied. SRT has a slightly sparser schedule than Korail with fewer departures.

All lines start in Seoul and terminate in either the southwest or southeast of the country. Seoul has three main KTX stations (Seoul, Yongsan, Cheongnyangni); Seoul station for mainly Gyeongbu, Gyeongjeon lines, and Yongsan station for Honam and Jeolla lines, and Cheongnyangni for Gangneung line. Also, Suseo station at the southeast of the Seoul serves SRT.

Keep in mind that few KTX trains use conventional line to serve stations at Suwon, Gupo (West of Busan), Nonsan, etc. These trains are slower, but cheaper.

These are the major stops.

• Gyeongbu KTX :Seoul (Seoul) - Cheonan-asan - Daejeon - Daegu (Dongdaegu) - Busan or Pohang
• Honam KTX : Seoul (Yongsan) - Cheonan-asan - Gongju - Iksan - Gwangju (GwangjuSongjeong) - Mokpo
• Gyeongjeon KTX : Seoul (Seoul) - Cheonan-asan - Daejeon - Daegu (Dongdaegu) - Miryang - Changwon - Jinju
• Jeolla KTX : Seoul (Yongsan) - Cheonan-asan - Gongju - Iksan - Jeonju - Suncheon - Yeosu
• Gangneung KTX : Seoul (Mainly Cheongnyangni, Some departs from Seoul) - Wonju (Manjong) - Pyeongchang - Gangneung or Donghae.
• Jungang KTX : Seoul (Cheongnyangni) - Wonju (Wonju) - Jecheon - Yeongju - Andong
• SRT : Seoul (Suseo) - Dongtan - Pyeongtaek(PyeongtaekJije) - continues with the same Gyeongbu/Honam KTX line after Cheonan-asan

Some KTX trains proceed north from Seoul to Haengshin.

There were KTX services from Incheon International Airport for a few years in the past, but all services were discontinued after the 2018 Olympics due to low ridership with the former now abandoned airport platforms still visible.

If you're going to use KTX (except those using Gangneung or Jungang KTX) from the airport, take the 6770 bus to get to the Gwangmeyong Station and continue on the KTX. It's faster and cheaper than going all the way to Seoul Station onboard the AREX train and entering the KTX from there. Also, when you're going to Incheon Airport, you can use City Airport Terminal at Gwangmyeong and Seoul stations. You can go through check-in and immigration if you're using selected airlines including Asiana, Korean Air, Jin Air and Lufthansa and then use a shortcut at security at Incheon Airport.

A plan to build an undersea tunnel to Jeju has been mooted by the government. The Seoul-to-Jeju airline route is the busiest in the world, although construction would involve building the longest tunnel in the world and it is not clear if Korea would be prepared to invest the huge amount needed.

Tickets may be purchased up to one month in advance at any Korean Rail station ticket office, or online at Korail's website. The online option has the benefit of allowing you to book in English, and tickets can be picked up in advance from any Korean Rail Ticket Office. However, you must bring your passport for identification when picking up the tickets. There is also a clunky but usable iPhone app which supports English. Foreign credit cards can be used to book tickets which then can be accessed through the app. Major stations including Seoul Station also have dedicated and clearly marked ticket vending machines for foreign credit cards which the regular terminals do not accept.

Standby (입석, ipseok) tickets cannot be purchased online; those can only be purchased at ticket machines at the major stations.

SRT trains can be booked on their website.

Due do the mandatory reservations (including the few standing tickets available on some trains), KTX services on major lines including Seoul-Busan usually do sell out over every weekend. If you need to travel, be prepared to book several days in advance or you might not be going at all. Additionally, during Lunar New Year (late Jan or Feb) and Chuseok (Sep or early Oct) dates, it is practically impossible to travel by train during these periods due to all the crowds.

Non-high-speed long-distance trains are divided into the following classes:

• ITX-Cheongchun (ITX-청춘) — The fastest non-high-speed long-distance trains, travelling at up to 180 km/h.
• ITX-Saemaeul (ITX-새마을) and ITX-MAUM — long-distance trains which more stops, speed up to 150 km/h.
• Nuriro (누리로) — Semi-express trains running on some shorter routes, speed up to 150 km/h.
• Mugunghwa-ho — the slowest long-distance services with most stops, using coach cars.