High Speed Metro in Seoul, South Korea

[Express691]

The GTX is a high speed metro in Seoul, South Korea. Its first line, GTX-A, opened in two sections in 2024. The southern section (38km/24mi), opened in the summer, heads south from Gangnam (50 minute train ride from Seoul Station/Myeongdong) and shares tracks with "private" high speed train operator, SRT. Meanwhile the northern section (33km/20mi) starts at Seoul Station and heads northwest. That section opened late last year (which I have yet to visit). Both sections operate 8 cars long and up to 170-180km/h (105-111mph). Frequency is 6 trips/hr in the northern section while the southern section sees 3-4 trips/hr (albeit on a VERY wacky interval due to sharing tracks with high speed trains in the tunnel).

The missing link from Suseo through Gangnam and Seoul Station is expected to open in 2026. Two more lines are under construction while another five are in the planning stage.

Per Wikipedia, the main critiques of the line are the deep stations, and how the line exacerbates the hyper-centralization of Seoul as a primate city.

 

This is the inside of the train during a Saturday afternoon. The southern section parallels a surface-level commuter line which explains the lower ridership. I guess we wait until the central section is complete, then we may see more riders.
 

Wikipedia page for GTX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Train_eXpress

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 08:38 AM by Express691