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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 and surrounding Gyeonggi province and Incheon city, with a connection to the Incheon subway system. It began to serve Cheonan, Chungnam province in 2005.
Current total length of the subway system is about 287 km (except Korail lines).
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Operators
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The subway is operated by three different organisations:
Seoul Metro; 서울메트로 (Line 2, underground part of Line 1, and most of Lines 3 and 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 everyday. and
And, these are future system operaters:
'New Bundang Line Corporation' for New Bundang Line
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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.
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Lines
The subway lines and their operators and colours are as follows:
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Trains
see also Seoul Metropolitan Subway trains
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Ticket
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Ticket prices start at 900 won for a trip up to 12 km, with 100 won added for each 6 km after that. Riders may also enter the system using a pre-paid debit card called T-Money and Upass. There is a 100 won discount for using T-Money card or other similar cards, such as Upass or KB Free Pass. There's also fixed-price ticket for youth, and monthly travel card for commuter.
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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.
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.
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.
Line 7 will be extended west 9.8 km 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 10 km 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*.
By the end of 2011, Seoul City plans to build a 10.72 km 'light' subway line from Ui-dong to Sinseol-dong in northern Seoul*. 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.
For more details on new projects, see * (in Korean)
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See also
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