Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL)'s 'Jiyeoksarang Rail Travel' Wins Main Prize at International Union of Railways (UIC) Sustainability Awards

[Financial News] KORAIL's 'Jiyeoksarang Rail Travel' has been recognized as a sustainable transportation project by the global railway industry. The initiative was recognized for shifting car-centered tourism demand to rail, reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion, and contributing to regional economic revitalization.
KORAIL said on the 27th that it received the main prize in the Modal Shift category for Jiyeoksarang Rail Travel at the 2026 Sustainability Awards ceremony hosted by the International Union of Railways (UIC) in Berlin on the 23rd local time.
UIC is an international organization for the railway sector, with 217 organizations from 83 countries participating. Each year, it selects and honors projects that contribute to the sustainable development of the global railway industry.
This year, 27 projects competed across eight categories. Following its UIC safety certification and Tourism-Friendly Award last year, KORAIL has achieved recognition on the international stage for two consecutive years.
The judging panel praised Jiyeoksarang Rail Travel for shifting demand from cars to rail, thereby reducing carbon emissions, air pollution, and traffic congestion. The program's provision of seats for people with mobility needs and connecting transportation services to improve access to rail travel was also cited as a reason for the award.
Jiyeoksarang Rail Travel is a program that combines rail travel with local tourism to address the issue of regional extinction caused by population decline. In cooperation with 41 local governments nationwide, KORAIL offers a 50% discount on rail fares and operates travel packages linked to local festivals and tourist attractions.
From its launch in August 2024 through July this year, the program recorded approximately 470,000 cumulative users. KORAIL estimated that it generated a production-inducing effect of about KRW 131.8 billion by applying per-person tourism spending of KRW 127,000 and a production inducement coefficient of 2.208 to the number of users.
President Kim Tae-seung said, "Railways have been internationally recognized as a practical catalyst for regional economic recovery and a driving force behind the transition to a sustainable transportation system." He added, "We will build an even denser network of connecting transportation routes extending from stations to communities across the country so that railways become a central pillar of balanced regional development."
[email protected] Choi Ga-young Reporter