Direct to Seoul... Jinju~Suseo SRT First Departure

The first SRT high-speed train connecting Jinju in Gyeongnam and Suseo in Gangnam, Seoul, departed energetically from Jinju Station on the morning of the 1st, leaving behind the past inconveniences of transfers.

On this day, Gyeongnam Province and Jinju City celebrated the first departure at Jinju Station at the scheduled departure time of 7:08 a.m.

The first departure welcome ceremony for the Suseo High-Speed Train (SRT) from Jinju, Gyeongnam to Gangnam, Seoul was held at Jinju Station.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

The welcoming ceremony was attended by Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province; Cho Gyu-il, Mayor of Jinju; Provincial Assembly members Jeong Jae-wook, Park Seong-do, and Jo Hyun-shin; Yang Hae-young, Chairman of Jinju City Council; Gu Ja-cheon, Chairman of the Gyeongnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council; and Hwang Hyun-joo, Head of Strategic Planning at SR Corporation.

To simultaneously promote the Suseo high-speed train (SRT) operation and the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival scheduled for October, SRT-themed lanterns produced through the Jinju Cultural Arts Foundation were utilized.

Governor Park wrote the phrase "Vigorous Development of Gyeongnam! Together with SRT" on the lantern and, in front of the train departing at 7:08 a.m., announced the commencement of SRT service to Suseo together with the event attendees.

He boarded the train with local residents and traveled to Changwon Jungang Station, carefully checking for any inconveniences in train usage.

At Changwon Jungang Station, he distributed informational leaflets to passengers and encouraged the use of the Suseo high-speed train as part of the promotional efforts.

Later, at a meeting with event attendees, he said, "Let us unite our efforts to increase the number of services on the Jinju?Suseo SRT line, reflecting future demand."

Governor Park Wansu of Gyeongnam Province is writing a congratulatory message for the first departure of the Jinju~Suseo SRT at Yudeung.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Earlier, Gyeongnam Province announced that a study conducted with the Gyeongnam Research Institute on the strategic introduction of the Gyeongjeon Line Suseo-bound high-speed rail service showed that, as of 2021, the daily demand for the Suseo-bound high-speed train ranged from an average of 6,000 to a maximum of 8,000 passengers.

Since one SRT train set can accommodate up to about 400 passengers, it was analyzed that 15 to 20 train sets per day would be necessary for the Jinju?Suseo SRT service.

With the operation of the Jinju?Suseo SRT, the inconvenience of having to transfer at Dongdaegu Station to an SRT or take the KTX to Gwangmyeong Station or Seoul Station and then transfer to a bus or subway when traveling from Gyeongnam to Gangnam, Seoul, or the southeastern Gyeonggi region will be resolved. However, considering the regional demand, the current scale of operation is expected to be insufficient, so continuous requests for increased service will be made to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and SR Corporation.

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province (far right), is boarding the first SRT train from Jinju to Suseo.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Governor Park said, "The establishment of this new high-speed rail line to Suseo is a meaningful achievement made possible by the combined efforts of local government, the assembly, residents, and the business community," adding, "We will continue to increase the frequency of this line to alleviate the inconvenience of accessing the metropolitan area for residents and do our best to eliminate railway blind spots in the Gyeongnam region."

The Jinju?Suseo Suseo high-speed train (SRT) operates four times daily, twice in each direction: northbound at 7:08 a.m. and 4:47 p.m., and southbound at 12:04 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. Ticket reservations began on August 11.

The train departs from Jinju Station and stops at six stations within the province: Masan Station, Changwon Station, Changwon Jungang Station, Jinyeong Station, and Miryang Station, before reaching Suseo in Gangnam, Seoul.

The 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.

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