New SRT bullet train running smoothly
The SRT, a high-speed train connecting southern Seoul with Busan and Gwangju, has been running smoothly since its launch last December, company officials said Thursday.
The trains, manufactured by Hyundai Rotem, have been running on the high-speed rail network without mishap for the past two months, with the number of people using Korea’s second bullet train line having exceeded the previous estimate.
The train starts at Suseo Station in southern Seoul, where Seoul Metro Line 3 and the Bundang Line intersect.
The biggest beneficiaries of the new service have been residents of southern Seoul and southeastern parts of Gyeonggi Province such as Bundang. Previously, they had to go to either Seoul Station or Yongsan Station, both north of the Han River, to catch the KTX high-speed train, operated by Korail, the state-run railway operator.
With the launch of the SRT, which runs at up to 300 kilometers per hour, they have only to go to nearby Suseo Station, saving both time and cost. SR, which operates the SRT, expects around 44,000 passengers to use Suseo Station daily by 2026.
“The SRT has been running without mechanical malfunctions or safety-related accidents for the past two months,” an SR official said. “We will continue to remain vigilant to operate the trains as safely as possible and improve customer satisfaction. We expect the number of passengers will continue to increase down the road.”
In January alone, a total of 1.47 million people rode the SRT. Of the 1.47 million, 77.1 percent took the trains running on the Gyeongbu Line between southern Seoul and Busan, while the remaining 22.9 percent headed to Mokpo on the Honam Line.