From Namgangseo to Gangnam 'Direct'... First Departure of Jinju~Suseo SRT on September 1

The first direct train connecting Jinju Station in Gyeongnam to Suseo Station in Seoul will depart at 7:08 a.m. on September 1.

According to Gyeongnam Province on the 11th, the high-speed train SRT traveling from Jinju to Suseo will depart from Jinju Station, a major station on the Gyeongjeon Line, and connect to Suseo Station in Seoul via Masan Station, Changwon Station, Changwon Jungang Station, Gimhae Jinyeong Station, and Miryang Station.

Kim Young-sam, Director of Transportation and Construction Bureau of Gyeongnam Province, is giving a briefing on the opening of Jinju~Suseo SRT.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

After opening, there will be four round trips daily, and ticket reservations and sales will be available from 3 p.m. on the 11th.

The first SRT train heading to Suseo departs Jinju Station at 7:08 a.m. on September 1 and arrives at the final destination, Suseo Station, at 10:41 a.m.

The next train leaves Jinju at 4:47 p.m. and arrives at Suseo at 8:25 p.m.

The first train heading back departs Suseo Station at 12:04 p.m. and arrives at Jinju Station at 3:43 p.m.

The next train from Suseo to Jinju departs at 7:25 p.m. and arrives at 10:58 p.m.

Gyeongjeon Line Jinju~Suseo SRT Train Timetable. [Image provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

The train fare for the Jinju~Suseo section is ▲KRW 51,100 for standard seats and ▲KRW 74,100 for special seats, which is KRW 6,500 cheaper than the KTX Jinju~Seoul section fares of ▲KRW 57,600 for standard seats and ▲KRW 80,600 for special seats.

Detailed information on train schedules and fares by section can be found on the SR website and the SRT smartphone app.

Until now, the Suseo-bound SRT has only operated on the Gyeongbu and Honam lines since its opening in 2016.

In Gyeongnam, only KTX operated, so residents had to transfer to the SRT at Dongdaegu Station or get off at Gwangmyeong Station or Seoul Station after taking the KTX and then transfer to a bus or subway to reach Seoul Gangnam or southeastern Gyeonggi areas.

The province prioritized the opening of the Gyeongjeon Line high-speed train to Suseo as a campaign pledge of the 8th local government to resolve residents' inconvenience and meet transportation demand for business trips and corporate activities in Jinju Innovation City due to the formation of the Aviation National Industrial Complex and relocation of public institutions.

They continuously requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to operate the Gyeongjeon Line high-speed train to Suseo, resulting in the Ministry issuing route licenses for three new lines to SRT, including the Donghae Line, Gyeongjeon Line, and Jeolla Line.

High-speed train route map. [Provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Previously, Governor Park Wan-su, during his time as a member of the National Assembly, twice in June 2017 and January 2022, led the resolution urging approval for the Suseo-originating high-speed train on the Gyeongjeon Line and emphasized the necessity of the project while serving on the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee of the 20th National Assembly.

After being elected governor and selecting it as a campaign pledge, Governor Park met with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to request the opening of the Suseo-originating SRT, and the Ministry incorporated the introduction of the Suseo-originating high-speed train into its work plan earlier this year.

The province revealed that a strategic study on the introduction of the Gyeongjeon Line high-speed train to Suseo, conducted with the Gyeongnam Research Institute, showed that as of 2021, the daily demand for the Suseo-bound high-speed train would range from 6,000 to a maximum of 8,000 passengers.

Considering that one SRT train set has 410 seats and future demand, it is expected that 15 to 20 train sets per day will be needed.

Although the introduction of the Gyeongjeon Line high-speed train to Suseo has improved transportation convenience, the province expects the operation scale to be insufficient relative to regional demand and plans to continuously request additional services from the Ministry and SR.

Kim Young-sam, Director of the Transportation and Construction Bureau, said, “Following the operation of the Suseo-bound high-speed train, once the Southern Inland Railway is completed in 2027, it will be possible to travel from all over the province to the metropolitan area within two hours. We will continue to strive to expand the range of railway services that residents can experience.”

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