'New KTX' to Operate on Jungang Line Starting January 5 Next Year

Provided by Korea Railroad

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The new KTX will run on the Jungang Line section from Cheongnyangni to Andong starting January 5 next year.

According to Korea Railroad on the 28th, the new KTX will operate on the same route as the existing Gangneung Line KTX running between Cheongnyangni Station and Seowonju Station. From Seowonju Station, it will run through the newly established Jecheon Station, Yeongju Station, and continue to Andong Station.

The stops include 9 stations: Cheongnyangni, Yangpyeong, Seowonju, Wonju, Jecheon, Danyang, Punggi, Yeongju, and Andong. It will operate 14 times on weekdays (Monday to Friday) (7 trips each way) and 16 times on weekends (Saturday to Sunday) (8 trips each way).

The fare for the new KTX, based on the standard class, is set at 25,100 KRW from Cheongnyangni to Andong, 21,800 KRW to Yeongju, and 18,500 KRW to Jecheon.

This fare applies with a discount (1,400 KRW to 3,300 KRW) on the Cheongnyangni to Seowonju section until the full double-track electrification of the Jungang Line is completed by the end of 2022, and may be adjusted in the future. Detailed fares by section can be checked on the Korea Railroad website's fare table.

Korea Railroad plans to replace some existing Mugunghwa trains with the new KTX and expand the benefits of high-speed rail, thereby improving transportation convenience in areas where high-speed trains have not been operating.

To minimize inconvenience to passengers due to the replacement of Mugunghwa trains, train operations during commuting hours will be maintained as much as possible, and additional stops will be added mainly at intermediate stations where the number of stops was previously low.

Accordingly, the number of Mugunghwa train services, which previously operated 22 times, will be reduced to 10 times on weekdays and 8 times on weekends. On the Taebaek Line, out of the existing 12 services (Cheongnyangni to Donghae), 2 services will have their routes adjusted to run between Jecheon and Donghae.

Tickets for the Jungang Line and Taebaek Line will be sold starting from the 31st of this month through the Korea Railroad website, the mobile app ‘KORAIL Talk’, and ticket counters at stations nationwide.

The new KTX will operate with 46 seats in the premium class and 335 seats in the standard class. The vehicle name will be finalized and announced later.

Son Byeong-seok, President of Korea Railroad, said, “The travel time on the Cheongnyangni to Andong section used to be up to 3 hours and 54 minutes, but with the operation of the new KTX, the travel time on the same section will be reduced to 2 hours.” He added, “This is expected to greatly improve accessibility between the central inland region and the metropolitan area.”

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