[2020 National Audit] Railway Usage Declined Due to COVID-19... 40% Decrease Compared to Previous Year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The number of railway passengers has decreased by nearly 40% in the era of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to data submitted by Korea Railroad Corporation to Song Seok-jun, a member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the People Power Party, on the 15th, the total number of passengers on 14 railway lines from January to September this year was 63.89 million, which is only 61.7% compared to the same period last year (103.44 million).

Over the past five years, the number of railway passengers has remained steady at 135 million in 2016, 127.5 million in 2017, 134.36 million in 2018, and 139.33 million in 2019.

However, this year, due to the impact of COVID-19, the number of railway passengers decreased by nearly 40%. Looking at the monthly railway passenger numbers, the number of passengers was 11.53 million in January, but dropped sharply to 6.71 million in February and 5.28 million in March, with March passengers at 45.8% of January's level.

Afterwards, the numbers increased to 5.29 million in April, 7.51 million in May, 7.45 million in June, and 8.2 million in July, then decreased to 7.55 million in August and further to 5.77 million in September. The number of passengers in September fell to 70.4% of July's level. The number of railway passengers sharply declined in March, when COVID-19 was rampant, in August, when it resurged, and in September, when people refrained from traveling home during the Chuseok holiday period.

Comparing March and September of this year, when railway passenger numbers sharply declined, with March and September of last year, this trend is even more evident. The number of railway passengers in March last year was 11.56 million, but in March this year it dropped to 5.28 million, only 45.7% of the same month last year. In September last year, the number was 11.59 million, but in September this year it was only 5.77 million, just 49.8% of the same month last year.

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