Seoul Metropolitan Subway

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A map of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway.

The Seoul Metropolitan Subway is one of the most heavily used subway systems in the world, with well over 8 million trips daily on the system's ten lines (total figures for Seoul Metro, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation & Korean Railroad commuter lines). The system serves Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi province and northern Chungnam province and connects with the single-line Incheon Subway system. A planned extension to the Incheon International Airport Railroad (A'REX) from Gimpo Airport station on Line 5 has opened.

Current total length of the subway system is about 179.4 miles (287km) (excludes Korail lines). Over 70℅ of the total track length is underground.

1 Operators
2 History
3 Lines
4 Trains
5 Ticket
6 New construction
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Operators

Looking down a subway train tube in Seoul.

The subway is operated by three different organisations:

Korail; 한국철도공사 (Bundang Line, Yongsan-Deokso Line, most of Line 1, and parts of Lines 3 and a half of Lines 4). An average of 2,177,000 people use Korail's Seoul commuter lines daily;
Seoul Metro; 서울메트로 (Line 2, underground section of Line 1, and most of Lines 3 and a half of Lines 4). The corporation runs a total of 199 trains at 115 stations on lines 1-4. Generally, operation intervals are 2.5 -3 minutes during rush hours and 4-6 minutes during non-rush hours. An average of 3,879,000 passengers use subway lines 1-4 daily; and
Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation; 서울특별시도시철도공사 (SMRT) (Lines 5, 6, 7, and 8). An average of 3,221,068 passengers use subway lines 5-8 daily.

The operators for lines currently under construction (see below) are as follows:

Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation for Line 9
Shin Bundang Line Corporation for the New Bundang Line
Yongin Light Rail Corporation for the EverLine Rapid Transit System

[edit] History

The Korail, the forerunner of the Seoul Metro, began operating Line 1 in 1974. Lines 2, 3, and 4 followed in the late 1970s and 1980s. The SMRT was formed in 1994 to take over operation of lines 5 to 8.

[edit] Lines

The subway lines and their operators and colours are as follows:

Color	Name/Number	Korean name	Start	End	Operator
dark blue	Line 1	서울 지하철 1호선	Soyosan	Incheon/Cheonan	Korail (Soyosan-Hoegi, Namyeong-Cheonan, Guro-Incheon, Siheung-Gwangmyeong) / Seoul Metro (Seoul Station-Cheongnyangni)
green	Line 2	서울 지하철 2호선	City Hall Seongsu Sindorim	City Hall Sinseol-dong Kkachisan	Seoul Metro (except Kkachisan. SMRT runs Kkachisan staion.)
orange	Line 3	서울 지하철 3호선	Daehwa	Suseo	Seoul Metro (Jichuk-Suseo) / Korail (Jichuk-Daehwa)
blue	Line 4	서울 지하철 4호선	Danggogae	Oido	Seoul Metro (Danggogae-Namtaeryeong) / Korail (Seonbawi-Oido)
purple	Line 5	서울 지하철 5호선	Banghwa	Sangil-dong/Macheon	SMRT
brown	Line 6	서울 지하철 6호선	Eungam	Bonghwasan	SMRT
olive	Line 7	서울 지하철 7호선	Jangam	Onsu	SMRT
pink	Line 8	서울 지하철 8호선	Amsa	Moran	SMRT
yellow	Bundang Line	수도권 전철 분당선	Seolleung	Bojeong	Korail
aqua	Yongsan-Deokso Line	수도권 전철 용산-덕소선	Yongsan	Deokso	Korail

Line 2 is a circular subway line

[edit] Trains

Main article: Seoul Metropolitan Subway trains

[edit] Ticket

Seoul Metro subway ticket

Ticket prices start at 900 won for a trip up to 7.5 miles (12km), with 100 won added for each 3.75 miles (6km) after that. Half-price children's tickets are available. Riders may also enter the system using a transportation card such as T-money, Upass, and KB Free Pass. There is a 100 won discount for using a transportation card. The city government is planning to use Seoul Citypass as a transportation card. Senior citizens qualify for free transit and can enter and exit using side gates rather than turnstiles.

[edit] New construction

Two new subway lines are currently under construction and have yet to open:

Line 9 will run east from Gimpo Airport along the south bank of the Han River. Construction of the first phase began in April 2002 and is due for completion in 2008. [1]
New Bundang Line will be a new line from Gangnam in Seoul to Jeongja in Bundang, Seongnam. Construction is due to be completed in 2010.

Several existing lines are also currently undergoing extension:

Line 3 will be extended south from Suseo to Garak Market and Ogeum, interchanging with lines 8 and 5 respectively, by 2009.[2]
By 2008, the Bundang line will be extended north from Seolleung to Wangsimni and south to Yongin and Suwon, with eventual plans for it to run all the way to Incheon, completing a southern outer semicircle.[3]
Line 7 will be extended west by 6.1 miles (9.8km) from Onsu to meet Incheon Subway line 1 at Bupyeong-gu Office. Nine new stations will be added by 2010.

There are several major works still in the planning stage:

A 6.25 mile (10km) extension to the New Bundang Line (see above) northward from Gangnam station to Yongsan is under consideration. If approved, the project is estimated to cost at least 400 billion won[4].
By the end of 2011, Seoul City plans to build a 6.7 mile (10.72km) 'light' subway line from Ui-dong to Sinseol-dong in northern Seoul[5]. The line is expected to carry 110,000 passengers a day and will have 12 stations. It will connect to Line 4 at Sungshin Women's University Station, Line 6 at Bomun Station and Sinseol-dong Station (Line 1 & 2).
EverLine Rapid Transit System will be a new line branching off the Bundang line extension and running east into Yongin and then to the theme park Everland.[6]
An extension of the Jungang Line from Deokso is also planned. This should eventually terminate in Yongmun Station.[7]