Railway Union's 1st General Strike Ends at 9 AM... Seoul Metropolitan Subway Returns to Normal at 9 PM

The nationwide general strike by the Korea Railroad Workers' Union, which lasted for four days, is expected to end on the morning of the 18th. However, since the union has announced a second strike depending on the government's stance, the possibility of additional strikes remains open.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) stated that it will gradually resume operation of trains that were suspended during the strike around 9 a.m., the scheduled time for union members to return.

Considering the training and suitability assessment of returning union members and train formation operations, KTX high-speed trains are expected to resume normal service from 5 p.m., regular and freight trains from 6 p.m., and metropolitan subway trains from 9 p.m. onwards.

The overall train operation rate aims to reach 89.7% compared to normal times.

KTX will operate at 87.1%, regular trains such as Saemaeul-ho at 86.2%, and metropolitan trains (including Seoul metropolitan subway) at 93.2%.

However, to minimize inconvenience during commuting hours, metropolitan trains will operate at 95% during morning rush hours and 99% during evening rush hours.

Earlier, the railroad union began a temporary four-day general strike starting on the 14th, demanding changes such as shifting the terminus of the Busan-Seoul KTX, which was increased on the 1st, to Suseo Station, integrated operation of KTX and SRT high-speed trains, connected operation of KTX and SRT, and full implementation of a 4-shift 2-team system.

However, since the government maintains a firm stance on strict response, concerns have been raised that the strike could lead to a second round as the union has warned.

Meanwhile, KORAIL estimates the damage caused by this strike at 7.5 billion won and is considering filing for damages against the union.

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