Seoul's Han River ferry to expand night sailings; express route shelved

Seoul will expand nighttime Han River ferry service as part of Mayor Oh Se-hoon's push to develop a "nighttime economy" — one of his signature policy initiatives for his new term. A previously announced express route, however, has been put on hold.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to add sailings between 7 and 10 p.m. starting in mid-August. "We plan to deploy additional vessels that have completed inspections and training, increasing the number of sailings and significantly expanding access during evening hours when demand is high for sunset and night-view cruising," a city official said.

Current Han River ferry service is heavily concentrated in daytime hours. Sailings begin at 11 a.m. on the Jamsil-to-Yeouido route and end at 9:14 p.m. on the Ttukseom-to-Jamsil route. Across all piers, the ferry operates a combined total of 96 sailings per day, of which only 15 — just 15.78 percent — depart after 7 p.m.

The city expects to complete delivery of all ordered vessels next month, making the nighttime expansion possible. Of the 12 vessels the city commissioned, 11 have been delivered to the Han River so far — hulls 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111 and 112. Delivery of the remaining vessel has been delayed due to a parts replacement issue. Eight vessels are currently in active service, with two held in reserve. Once the final vessel arrives next month, the city expects to run 10 vessels in service and keep one in reserve, allowing it to add evening sailings. Under regulations, one vessel must be set aside each year for inspection.

The evening service expansion is tied directly to the nighttime economy initiative, a key campaign pledge Oh made during the election. In his inauguration speech on July 1, Oh named the nighttime economy as a new engine of growth for Seoul. "We will create 'nighttime economy co-prosperity zones' across Seoul — in Hongdae, Euljiro, Gangnam, Yeouido and beyond — so that residents can enjoy richer nights and local commercial districts can be revitalized," he said. "We will make Seoul's nights another reason for people from around the world to stay."

Boosting sailings during after-work commute hours also appears aimed at strengthening profitability by driving more use of pier facilities and ancillary services. According to the Financial Supervisory Service's DART system, Han River Bus Co., the operator of the Han River ferry, recorded a combined operating loss of 10.4 billion won ($7.17 million) in 2024 and last year. The city views the figure as an expected outcome of the large upfront capital investment required to build the fleet and construct pier infrastructure in the project's early stages, and expects the operation to turn profitable by 2029.

With the newly delivered vessels being directed toward the nighttime expansion, the previously planned express route has been shelved. The city had announced earlier this year that it would launch an express service starting in April, deploying the additional incoming vessels on the new route.

The express route was designed to stop only at three major hub piers — Magok, Yeouido and Jamsil. It was intended to address criticism that the Han River ferry was inadequate as a commuter option. The standard route from Magok to Jamsil takes 127 minutes; the express would have cut that to 82 minutes. As vessel deliveries dragged on, however, plans for the express route gave way to the nighttime service expansion.

cook@heraldcorp.com