Rail Union Strike on the 14th... Korail Enters Emergency Transport System

The National Railroad Workers' Union has announced a general strike for four days starting from the 14th, and Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) has stated that it has entered an emergency transportation system to ensure safe train operations and minimize public inconvenience.

On the morning of the 13th, one day before the first general strike announced by the Korea Railroad Workers' Union (Railroad Union), a notice regarding train operation adjustments related to the strike was posted in front of the ticket office at Seoul Station. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Accordingly, KORAIL is operating a 24-hour emergency response headquarters led by the vice president to prepare for the railroad strike and has established a comprehensive countermeasure plan.

First, KORAIL plans to minimize passenger inconvenience by mobilizing all available resources. In particular, during peak commuting hours, priority will be given to deploying internal staff with driving experience and military personnel to metropolitan area trains and long-distance KTX trains, which have high passenger volumes, to secure the maximum number of train operations.

During the strike notice period, the operation rates compared to normal times by train type are as follows: for metropolitan area trains, 75% of normal operations will be maintained. However, during commuting hours, more than 90% will operate, with 98% operation during the morning commute on the 14th. △KTX will operate at 68%, △regular trains Saemaeul-ho at 58%, and Mugunghwa-ho at 63%.

Cargo trains will be operated at 27% of normal levels by deploying substitute drivers within KORAIL. Accordingly, transportation will focus on urgent cargo such as import-export goods and essential industrial supplies.

The personnel operating during the strike will total 14,757, including 9,795 essential maintenance personnel and 4,962 substitutes, which is about 61.2% of the usual workforce.

Meanwhile, to prevent confusion among train passengers, KORAIL is continuously strengthening guidance on train usage during the strike period through various media such as the mobile app ‘KORAIL Talk,’ the website, station announcements, the Passenger Information Display System (TIDS), and onboard video devices.

Trains that do not appear on KORAIL Talk and the website are those whose operations have been suspended. The list of affected trains can be checked or downloaded from the website’s notices.

For customers who booked tickets for trains suspended due to the strike, KORAIL sent a total of 410,000 individual text messages (SMS) and push notifications via KORAIL Talk on the 12th. If additional train operation adjustments occur on the 18th, real-time updates will be provided through pop-ups on KORAIL Talk and the website, along with notifications via text messages.

Furthermore, during the strike notice period, all train ticket cancellations or changes will be exempt from penalties, and tickets for suspended trains will be fully refunded automatically without a separate refund application. However, cash-purchased tickets for suspended trains can be refunded at nearby stations within one year.

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