‘Local Love Rail Travel’ Draws 230,000 in Nine Months, Surpassing Last Year’s Full-Year Total

[Financial News] The number of travelers taking trains to visit population-decline areas has surpassed last year’s full-year figure in just the first nine months of this year. The Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) said 237,000 people used its ‘Local Love Rail Travel’ program from January to September, up 67% from the same period a year earlier. KORAIL plans to sustain demand with recommended itineraries tied to autumn festivals and discounted fares.
According to KORAIL on the 15th, the number of users through September this year had already exceeded last year’s full-year total of 220,000. Around 142,000 people used the program from January to September last year. The monthly average has risen each year, from 10,000 in the first year after launch to 20,000 last year and 26,000 this year.
KORAIL first introduced the program in August 2024. It is based on agreements with local governments in population-decline areas and combines discounted train fares with benefits for experiences at tourist attractions. As of October last year, agreements were in place with 42 local governments, and around 540 travel packages were available. By the end of last year, cumulative users had reached about 260,000, roughly a year and a half after the program launched. Early this year, while compiling last year’s results, KORAIL also estimated that the number of rail travelers to population-decline areas, including those on temporary trains, had about doubled, and that the induced production effect amounted to 82.5 billion won.
The most popular destinations were Namwon, with 22,600 visitors, and Miryang, with 22,500. The two areas held on to first and second place this year, as they did last year. Samcheok, with 16,000 visitors, newly entered the top tier. The rankings shifted, given that Yeongdong, with about 19,000 visitors, came after Namwon and Miryang last year. By package, around 6,000 people took the two-day, one-night ‘Miryang–Busan Inland Tour,’ while about 5,600 joined the ‘Yeongdong Winery Tour.’
Demand was heavily concentrated in certain periods. About 119,000 people visited in April and May alone, accounting for half of this year’s users. The monthly average during those two months was about 3.5 times that of the other seven months. In January and February, visitors flocked to Taebaek, where a snow festival was held. In summer, Yeongdong, where visitors can cool off in a wine cave, attracted 20% of users across all packages.
Benefits that help ease the cost of travel will continue. Fares on five themed train routes, including the Baekdudaegan Canyon Train, the West Gold Train and the Jeongseon Arirang Train, will be cut in half, while the Naeilro Pass can be purchased for 20,000 won less. Visitors who go to and verify their visit to tourist attractions in the country’s 41 population-decline areas will receive a discount coupon covering the full train fare.
KORAIL has also put together recommended autumn itineraries for enjoying local festivals by train as part of its ‘Travel Month’ campaign. The Mindeungsan Silver Grass Flower Festival in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, runs through November 8. Visitors can see silver grass blanketing the autumn mountains, and taking the Jeongseon Arirang Train from Jecheon Station adds to the enjoyment of the rail trip. The Ten Million Chrysanthemums Festival in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, running from the 23rd to November 1, is recommended as part of an itinerary that also visits Baekje heritage sites such as the Mireuksa Temple Site and the Wanggung-ri Historic Site. The Korea Chrysanthemum Festival, which opens on the 23rd at Hampyeong Expo Park in the Gwangju–South Jeolla area and runs through November 8, offers a chance to experience autumn in the country’s southern region amid chrysanthemum displays and bonsai exhibitions.
Schedules and discount terms for each package can be found on KORAIL’s website under ‘Train Travel’ in the ‘2026 Travel Month’ section, and on the KORAIL+ train ticket booking app.
Lee Min-seong, head of KORAIL’s Passenger Business Division, said, “We are working to develop packages that let passengers enjoy the scenery outside the train windows as it changes with the seasons,” and added, “We will continue working with local governments and related organizations so that rail travelers visiting festivals can bring vitality to local economies.”

[email protected] Jeong Gyeong-su Reporter