Lawmaker Kim Moon-su welcomes service increase on Jeolla Line
The long-anticipated merger of KTX and SRT high-speed rail services, set to take effect in September, will bring more frequent trains to the Honam, Jeolla and Gyeongjeon lines — routes that have long struggled with chronic ticket shortages.
According to National Assembly member Kim Moon-su (Suncheon-Gwangyang A), the KTX-SRT integration in September will modestly increase the number of high-speed train services and available seats at Suncheon Station while cutting fares by about 10 percent.
Data submitted to Kim by Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) show that from September, the total number of high-speed train services at Suncheon Station — counting both directions — will rise from 36 to 43 on weekdays, an increase of seven. On weekends, services will grow from 39 to 48, adding nine.
Services toward Seoul will increase by three on weekdays, from 32 to 35, and by five on weekends, from 35 to 40. Trains toward Suseo will double from four to eight on both weekdays and weekends, a change expected to ease the persistent difficulty of securing tickets.
Available seats will grow from 20,955 to 23,860 on weekdays — an increase of 2,905 — and from 22,533 to 26,196 on weekends, adding 3,663 seats.
The increase in service frequency amounts to about 19 percent on weekdays and about 23 percent on weekends, while seat supply rises by roughly 14 percent and 16 percent respectively. The Jeolla and Honam lines serve a relatively sparse population but draw heavy tourism demand from travelers heading to southern destinations, making ticket shortages a persistent problem.
Alongside this, high-speed services on the Gyeongjeon Line connecting the Greater Seoul area and Changwon will also expand — from 32 to 38 trips on weekdays (Monday through Thursday) and from 40 to 46 on weekends (Friday through Sunday) — with more than 2,200 new seats added.
After the merger, all high-speed rail services will operate under the unified KTX brand. For three years following integration, existing KTX fares will be reduced by about 10 percent to match current SRT levels. Mileage programs that accumulate 5 percent of the fare paid, discount schemes and commuter passes will also be consolidated under a single system.
Beyond the near-term service increases, Kim is also pushing to fundamentally improve the competitiveness of the Jeolla Line through a high-speed upgrade project. During the National Assembly budget review process, he secured 500 million won ($350,000) for a feasibility study to establish a master plan for upgrading the Jeolla Line — which runs through Suncheon and connects Iksan and Yeosu — paving the way for full-scale track realignment work.
"Residents of Suncheon and eastern South Jeolla Province have repeatedly faced the frustration of being unable to get Jeolla Line tickets during holidays and weekends," Kim said. "I will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that the expanded train services I personally requested from the land minister translate into changes that people can actually feel."
parkds@heraldcorp.com
