Seoul Metro completes installation of 20,026 additional arrival station name signs on platform screen doors across Lines 1–8; signs per car increase from 10 to 16, covering all doors
Arrival station information on Seoul's subway system has become significantly more visible, both inside and outside train cars.
When a train pulls into a station, passengers can now check the current stop on the nearest platform screen door, and the in-car display panels also continuously show the arrival station name.
Seoul Metro said it has completed the installation of 20,026 additional arrival station name signs on platform screen doors across subway Lines 1 through 8, and has also updated the in-car display panels on all 358 train sets so that the arrival station name appears persistently at the top of every screen.
The improvements cover all stations and train cars on Lines 1 through 8 operated and managed by Seoul Metro.
Station name visible from anywhere on the platform — signs per car rise from 10 to 16
The expanded installation builds on signs first put up in 2023. The latest work focused on adding signs to emergency doors and other areas that had been left uncovered, bringing the total number of newly added signs to 20,026 and eliminating blind spots in arrival station guidance.
When the signs were first installed in 2023, placement took into account the opening and closing of the platform screen doors' movable panels, resulting in signs on all eight movable door panels and two of the emergency doors per car — 10 locations in total. That left gaps along the platform screen doors, making it harder for passengers to identify the station at a glance.
After the initial 2023 installation, Seoul Metro received numerous requests through its customer feedback channel calling for improvements to the signs. Interest in better station name visibility grew further as examples from other urban rail systems — where station names are displayed prominently on platform screen doors — became more widely known.
One passenger wrote through the feedback channel: "There have been times I got off the train not knowing which station it was, and the station name on the screen door isn't visible when it's crowded." Another said: "It would be great if the station name were written on every screen door panel."
With the expanded installation, passengers can now check the arrival station name at 16 locations per car — eight movable door panels and eight emergency door panels. The increase from 10 to 16 sign locations means that no matter where a passenger is standing inside the car, the current station is visible on the nearest platform screen door.
Locations where existing route maps or advertisements were already installed, or where structural constraints made installation impractical, were excluded from the project.
In-car display panels also updated to show arrival station name at all times
Beyond the platform screen doors, Seoul Metro also updated the in-car display panels so that the arrival station name remains visible at the top of every screen at all times — even while other information is being shown — ensuring passengers do not miss their stop.
Upgrades have been completed on 3,080 cars across 358 train sets, applied in sequence to account for differences between newer and older rolling stock. Cars that already displayed the arrival station name continuously were excluded from the project.
Work is currently underway on 54 cars for the Line 8 Byeollae extension and 32 cars for the Line 5 Hanam extension, with both sets of upgrades scheduled for completion by December. Once finished, the continuous arrival station name display will cover Seoul Metro's entire fleet. New trains ordered going forward will also incorporate the persistent display format from the outset, ensuring consistent arrival guidance across the network.
Through these improvements, Seoul Metro is reinforcing its guidance system so passengers can check the arrival station on in-car display panels while the train is moving, and on the nearest platform screen door once it stops. The focus has been on making arrival information easy and intuitive to find from any position inside the car.
During peak hours, when crowding makes it difficult to move around inside the car to find a station name, being able to check the current stop on the nearest platform screen door is expected to improve the passenger experience. Seoul Metro also plans to ask other urban rail operators in the greater Seoul area to adopt similar improvements, so that more commuters across the metropolitan network can benefit.
"We are continuously improving our guidance systems so that passengers can check arrival station information quickly and easily, whether inside or outside the train," Seoul Metro President Kim Tae-gyun said. "We will keep looking closely at everyday inconveniences from the passenger's perspective and work to make subway guidance clearer and more intuitive."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
