First Chuseok Holiday Since High-Speed Rail Integration Brings Expanded Train Services... 24 Late-Night Electric Train Runs Added

[Financial News] Train services will be expanded during the Chuseok holiday, the first since the integration of high-speed railways. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) will extend late-night electric train services on five lines in the Seoul metropolitan area by a total of 24 runs on September 26 and 27, when a surge in returning passengers is expected, and will operate a 24-hour emergency response system.
According to MOLIT and KORAIL on the 21st, special transportation measures for Chuseok will be implemented from the 23rd through the 27th. Taking advantage of improved track-operation efficiency and expanded transport capacity resulting from the integration, the authorities will increase seat availability and strengthen safety inspections and crackdowns on ticket scalping and fare evasion.
During the holiday period, a special transportation countermeasures headquarters staffed by experts in train control, passenger services, rolling stock, facilities and electrical systems will operate around the clock. It will monitor operations in real time and activate the emergency response system if an unusual situation, such as an accident or service disruption, occurs.
Eleven passenger trainsets and 15 electric trainsets will also be kept on emergency standby. Mobile maintenance teams will be deployed at major stations, and personnel will conduct regular track patrols. On September 26 and 27, when demand from returning passengers is expected to peak, a total of 24 additional late-night electric train runs will operate on five lines, including Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1.
Ahead of the holiday, special safety inspections of major stations, trains and railway facilities were completed. Inspectors focused on station escalators, platform screen doors (PSDs) and firefighting facilities, as well as train operating and passenger-compartment equipment, tracks and power-supply systems.
Holiday train tickets were sold through the integrated reservation system for the first time. Previously, KTX and Super Rapid Train (SRT) tickets had to be booked on separate websites, but beginning this Chuseok holiday, the system has been improved to allow passengers to purchase tickets for both services in one place.
During the Chuseok ticket reservation period from the 3rd through the 11th, 1.8 million tickets were sold, resulting in a reservation rate of 84%. This was 21 percentage points higher than the 63% reservation rate recorded during last year's Chuseok holiday.
A 'mystery shopper' method will be used to crack down on ticket scalping. KORAIL employees will pose as buyers on online secondhand trading platforms such as Karrot Market and Bungaejangter Inc., purchase scalped tickets directly and verify the sellers' identities. A ticket-scalping reporting channel will also operate on the KORAIL website and the Korail+ mobile app.
If ticket scalping is confirmed, measures may include expulsion from the railway membership program, referral to investigative authorities and the imposition of fines. Passengers who use a train without a ticket or extend their travel section while on board will be charged an additional fare equal to the fare for the relevant section.
Kim Tae-byeong, Director General of the Railway Bureau at MOLIT, said, "As this is the first Chuseok holiday since the integration of high-speed railways, we are creating tangible changes for the public, including expanded transport capacity resulting from the integration and the establishment of an integrated reservation system."

[email protected] Choi Ga-young Reporter