6 out of 10 Subway Complaints Are About 'Heating and Cooling Issues'

Seoul Metro Analyzes Complaints Received at Customer Center Last Year
Cases of Simultaneous Complaints About 'Hot' and 'Cold' in the Same Train Car Also Occur

On the 13th, one day before the general strike announced by the Seoul Metro Labor Union, a train is stopped at the Korea Railroad Corporation Guro Vehicle Office in Guro-gu, Seoul. The labor and management are scheduled to hold final negotiations on the same day, but concerns about the strike becoming a reality are growing as both sides are sharply divided over the restructuring plan. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has formed an emergency transportation countermeasure headquarters and plans to deploy 13,000 substitute workers, including retirees, to prevent confusion during commuting hours. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] An analysis of complaints received by the Seoul Metro customer center last year revealed that complaints related to heating and cooling accounted for nearly 60% of the total.

According to the corporation on the 22nd, out of a total of 761,791 complaints received last year, 446,839 (58.7%) were related to heating and cooling, with most complaints received after April when the weather warms up. Since individuals perceive temperature differently, complaints of both "too hot" and "too cold" were sometimes received simultaneously on the same train. In the past two weeks, there were 161 cases where complaints of both hot and cold were received simultaneously on a single train.

The Seoul subway follows the "indoor subway temperature standards" set at 24?26℃ in summer and 18?20℃ in winter. When temperatures rise or complaints about heat increase, efforts are made to ensure a comfortable subway experience through flexible operation of blowers and pre-cooling in congested R/H sections. The trains at the time of opening used a resistor control method, which generated heat from the floor whenever the train braked, causing passengers to feel hot. Back then, the cooling system consisted only of ceiling fans, but now all trains are equipped with air conditioning units.

The corporation is continuously upgrading trains to provide a more comfortable subway experience. They have established a "Plan to Replace Old Trains on Lines 1 to 8" and have been introducing new trains with improved equipment, including air conditioners, since 2014. This year, new trains are being introduced on Lines 3, 5, and 7, and Line 2 has been completely replaced with new trains. Trains on other lines such as Line 4 will be replaced sequentially. Additionally, the corporation regularly inspects the operation status of air conditioners and cleans and disinfects the air conditioning units, cooling fins, and filters before operation to maintain a comfortable environment for passengers.

Meanwhile, the corporation advises that since the temperature is lower at both ends of the car, passengers feeling hot should move to the ends of the car, while those feeling cold should move to the center of the car (the mildly cooled seats) or the mildly cooled car. The mildly cooled cars are the 4th and 7th cars on Lines 1, 3, and 4; the 4th and 5th cars on Lines 5 to 7; and the 3rd and 4th cars on Line 8. Line 2 does not operate mildly cooled cars due to high congestion.

Also, since the temperature inside the car rises when the train is crowded, passengers who are sensitive to heat are advised to use the less crowded cars by utilizing the congestion forecast feature of the "Ttota Subway" or "TMAP" apps.

Kim Seok-ho, Head of Sales Division, said, "Heating and cooling inside trains is a matter of great interest to passengers, so our staff are always attentive to handle it promptly," adding, "We are striving to create a comfortable subway environment through improvements and continuous inspections of heating and cooling facilities, as well as promoting related information, and we ask passengers to keep this in mind when using the subway."

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