Korea Railroad Significantly Expands Train Operations During Lunar New Year Holiday... Task Force Activated

Korea Railroad employees held a "Lunar New Year Transportation Preparation Inspection Meeting" on the 20th at the Daejeon headquarters to share the results of the special safety inspections conducted over the past month in preparation for the Lunar New Year special transportation. They are reviewing the safety management measures and preparation status for the Lunar New Year holiday by regional headquarters nationwide. (Photo by Korea Railroad)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) has designated the period from the 23rd to the 27th as the 'Seol Special Transportation Period' and will implement special measures in various fields such as capacity enhancement, safety, and service.

According to Korea Railroad, first, to increase transportation capacity, the number of train operations will be increased by 166 compared to normal times, operating a total of 3,496 times.

KTX will supply 73,000 more seats than usual by applying the weekend operation plan. On major routes with high demand, general trains such as Saemaeul-ho and Mugunghwa-ho will also operate an additional 80 times.

ITX-Cheongchun, metropolitan subway lines, and other metropolitan railways will operate at weekend levels. Especially on the 25th and 26th, when return demand is concentrated, 56 additional late-night subway trains that can connect with trunk passenger trains such as KTX will be added, increasing the total number of trains by 86 compared to usual, operating a total of 11,038 times.

On the 28th, the day after the holiday, KTX trains, which normally operate only on Monday early mornings, will be deployed three times to improve convenience for long-distance commuters.

Earlier, Korea Railroad completed nationwide safety inspections in preparation for the Seol special transportation period, which lasted about a month, and held a 'Seol Special Transportation Pre-Inspection Meeting' the day before to share safety management measures and preparations by regional headquarters.

In the passenger sector, convenience facilities and human services at stations and trains directly used by the public were inspected. Facilities directly related to passenger safety and convenience, such as automatic ticket vending machines, elevators, and automated external defibrillators, were intensively inspected, and service capabilities were strengthened by providing guidance for dispersing passenger movement during peak hours.

During the Seol special transportation period, a special traffic countermeasures headquarters will operate 24 hours a day. A total of 162 personnel from seven sectors including control, passenger, metropolitan, logistics, vehicles, facilities, and electricity will monitor train operation status in real time.

To enhance emergency response capabilities for malfunctions or accidents, emergency vehicles will be deployed at major bases nationwide, and mobile repair teams will be operated.

During the Seol holiday period, nationwide guide personnel will be reinforced, with a total of 13,155 people responsible for the safety and service of railroad users. Patrol inspections of customer service facilities such as waiting rooms and restrooms will be strengthened to improve passenger convenience, and guidance such as wayfinding help desks and assistance services for boarding and alighting for transportation-vulnerable groups will be enhanced.

Son Byeongseok, President of Korea Railroad, said, "We will do our utmost to ensure railroad safety and service so that the journey home by train can be comfortable and happy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.