Korail·SR to Sell Chuseok Holiday Train Tickets '100% Contactless' (Comprehensive)

Korail Ticket Reservations Start from Next Month 1st
SR Ticket Reservations Start from Next Month 8th
Tickets for September 29 to October 4

Separate Reservation Days for IT Vulnerable Groups
10% of Seats Prioritized... Phone Reservations Also Available

On September 12, the first day of the Chuseok holiday last year, travelers heading home boarded the southbound train at Seoul Station platform. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] This year’s Chuseok holiday train tickets will be sold 100% contactless. As a measure to abolish on-site sales, a separate booking day will be set aside for IT-vulnerable groups, and 10% of the seats will be preferentially allocated to them.

Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) announced on the 25th that it will conduct advance sales of this year’s Chuseok holiday train tickets for three days from the 1st to the 3rd of next month. The tickets available are for KTX, ITX-Saemaeul, Mugunghwa trains, and tourist trains operating for six days from September 29 to October 4. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, existing on-site sales will be abolished.

SR, the operator of SRT, which plans to conduct Chuseok holiday ticket reservations for three days from the 8th to the 10th of next month, also plans to conduct all reservations 100% contactless. The ticket operation period is the same.

Due to the abolition of on-site sales, priority booking and telephone reservations will be available for IT-vulnerable groups such as the disabled and elderly who have difficulty using the internet and mobile devices. On the first day of booking, the 1st, KORAIL will allocate 10% of all seats exclusively for vulnerable groups. Booking will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Only seniors aged 65 or older and registered disabled persons can reserve tickets, and if they are railroad members, they can use the dedicated holiday ticket reservation website via PC or mobile. Non-members can make reservations via telephone. However, telephone reservations are limited to the first 1,000 applicants.

From the second day, the 2nd, all citizens including the disabled and elderly can book holiday tickets online. On the 2nd, tickets for the Gyeongbu, Gyeongjeon, Donghae, and Chungbuk lines will be available, and on the 3rd, tickets for the Honam, Jeolla, Gangneung, Janghang, and Jungang lines will be available. Booking will be from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

SR will also conduct priority booking for vulnerable groups on the first day, the 8th. Similarly, 10% of seats will be allocated, and booking will be available online or by telephone from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Vulnerable SR members must apply for advance booking on the SR website from the 28th of this month to the 3rd of next month. For non-members or those who have difficulty using online services, telephone reservations will be accepted for up to 500 people.

Subsequently, on the 9th, nationwide booking for the Gyeongbu line and on the 10th for the Honam line will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. An SR official explained, "To prevent COVID-19, standing tickets will not be issued this Chuseok."

2020 Korea Railroad Corporation Chuseok Holiday Train Ticket Reservation Schedule (Provided by Korea Railroad Corporation)

KORAIL and SR plan to limit bookings to a maximum of 6 one-way tickets and 12 round-trip tickets per person to support as many travelers as possible. However, telephone reservations are limited to 3 one-way tickets and 6 round-trip tickets per person.

Tickets for KORAIL-operated trains reserved online or by phone must be paid for between 3 p.m. on the 3rd and midnight on the 6th. Unpaid tickets will be automatically canceled and allocated to those on the waiting list. Remaining seats not booked can be purchased from 3 p.m. on the 3rd in the same manner as regular tickets.

SRT tickets must be paid for between 3 p.m. on the 10th and midnight on the 14th. For telephone reservations, payment can be made at the station designated at the time of booking by presenting the reservation number and ID (both the passenger’s and proxy’s ID if applicable) within the payment period. Remaining SRT seats will be available for purchase from 3 p.m. on the 10th.

For more details, visit the 'Chuseok Ticket Reservation Dedicated Website.' KORAIL will operate the site from the 28th of this month, and SR from the 4th of next month. Users can try out the holiday ticket reservation method in advance or receive train timetable information.

Meanwhile, strong legal actions including investigation requests will be taken against illegal ticket acquisition using automated programs (macros). To this end, KORAIL plans to focus on analyzing purchase histories (access logs) of suspected macro users during ticket reservations to secure evidence.

Son Byung-seok, KORAIL President, said, "In this serious situation of COVID-19, we decided on 100% online reservations to protect the safety of the people. However, we have carefully considered the needs of those unfamiliar with IT devices," adding, "We ask for attention and help from those around the elderly and disabled so they can make reservations."

2020 SRT Chuseok Holiday Train Ticket Reservation Poster (Provided by SR)

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