Yeouido Station logged 86,708 boardings and alightings between 2 p.m. and midnight on Saturday, a 380.8% jump over a normal Saturday; ridership at 12 Han River-area stations rose 89.7%
The 2026 Seoul International Fireworks Festival, held Saturday, drew far larger crowds to subway stations near Yeouido and the Han River than a typical Saturday.
Yeouido Station saw boardings and alightings climb to roughly 4.8 times the normal Saturday level between 2 p.m. and midnight, with alightings between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. surging to about 31 times the usual figure.
Seoul Metro said total boardings and alightings at Yeouido Station during that 10-hour window reached 86,708 — a 380.8% increase from the 18,033 recorded during the same period on a normal Aug. 29.
Over the same period, Mapo Station saw ridership jump from 10,496 to 59,909, a 470.8% increase, while Ichon Station rose from 15,266 to 59,878, up 292.2%.
The surge was evident across all 12 stations near the Han River with views of the fireworks. Combined boardings and alightings at those stations between 2 p.m. and midnight totaled 639,304, up 89.7% from 336,991 on a normal Saturday. The concentration of festival-goers in the Yeouido and Han River area drove the sharp rise in ridership at major stations close to the venue.
The 12 Han River-area stations are: Dangsan, Sinyongsan, Ichon, Dongjak, Mapo, Yeouinaru, Yeouido, Singil, Hapjeong, Gongdeok (Line 5), Gongdeok (Line 6) and Hongik University Station.
A breakdown by hour shows a sharp spike in alightings at Yeouido Station during the crowd-arrival window. Between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., 14,223 passengers alighted — about 31 times the 458 recorded at the same hour on a normal Saturday. Between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., 4,359 passengers alighted, about 13 times the usual 335. Seoul Metro attributed the spike to trains bypassing Yeouinaru Station without stopping, which shifted alighting demand to the adjacent Yeouido Station.
To prevent dangerous overcrowding at Yeouinaru Station, Seoul Metro ran trains through without stopping for about four hours, from 6:15 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. With boardings and alightings restricted at Yeouinaru during that window, nearby stations including Yeouido and Mapo also recorded higher-than-normal ridership.
In preparation for the large crowds, Seoul Metro conducted intensive inspections of elevators and safety equipment at 10 stations near the venue before the event. On the day, the operator deployed 261 staff across 12 stations including Yeouinaru, ran 18 extra train services and kept two emergency standby trains on hand to ensure passenger safety and smooth movement.
Seoul Metro President Kim Tae-gyun said that although far more passengers than usual converged on Yeouido and Han River-area stations on the day of the festival, thorough safety measures prevented any accidents. "We will continue to closely analyze passenger flow at large-scale events and do our utmost to ensure citizens can use the subway safely and conveniently," he said.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
