No Extension of Last Train Times or Additional Bus Routes During This Lunar New Year Holiday... Seoul City Urges "Avoid Travel"

No Extension of Last Bus Times or Increase in City Bus Routes via Municipal Cemetery
Intensive Disinfection at Bus Terminals and Subway Stations Connected to Other Transport Modes

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City has urged residents to refrain from traveling during the Lunar New Year holiday, including trips to and from hometowns, to ensure a safe holiday amid the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

On the 8th, Seoul City announced that while special transportation measures such as extending the last train and increasing bus routes to cemeteries were previously implemented to facilitate citizens' travel during holidays, this Lunar New Year, the focus will be on preventing the spread of COVID-19 by encouraging citizens to limit travel and enhancing disinfection of transportation means.

In line with the government's designation of a special COVID-19 prevention period during the Lunar New Year holiday to discourage travel, all previous extensions of public transportation last train times and increased bus services passing through municipal cemeteries will not be carried out. Public transportation will operate at regular holiday levels.

For terminals expected to see inflow from other regions, disinfection and sterilization will be intensified to ensure safe use, and staff and crew will receive prior training on infection prevention and emergency response procedures. Additionally, fever detectors and isolation rooms will be installed within terminals to immediately isolate suspected cases of infection.

Eight major subway stations where passengers transfer from KTX and other means of transportation will have concentrated deployment of disinfection personnel to strengthen sanitation efforts. Disinfection and sterilization will be conducted regularly not only inside and outside subway and bus vehicles but also at bus stops, card issuance machines, escalators, and all facilities within the stations.

Illegal parking and stopping will be strictly monitored and enforced in habitual violation areas such as roads around train stations and terminals, as well as near fire alarms, firefighting facilities, and child and elderly protection zones. However, enforcement will be relaxed around traditional markets to support small business owners.

Safety inspections of transportation facilities, including public transportation, will be completed before the Lunar New Year holiday. The Seoul Transportation Corporation plans to deploy additional safety management staff at four subway stations connected to train stations and bus terminals (Seoul Station①, Gangbyeon Station②, Express Bus Terminal Station③, and ⑦) from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the day before the holiday to ensure citizens’ safe commute home.

Information on special transportation measures for the Lunar New Year holiday can be found on the Seoul Transportation Information Center’s TOPIS website, the mobile app ‘Seoul Transportation Portal,’ and Twitter. For inquiries, citizens can contact the 120 Dasan Call Center (dial 120 without area code).

Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of Urban Transportation, stated, “To ensure a safe Lunar New Year holiday amid the ongoing COVID-19 situation, unlike previous holidays, we will not extend last train times or increase bus services passing through municipal cemeteries, and we will strengthen disinfection of public transportation.” He added, “We ask citizens to strictly follow prevention guidelines, including mandatory mask-wearing when using public transportation.”

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