Gwangju Chamber of Commerce: "Increased KTX Service at Gwangju Songjeong Station to Boost Local Economy"

"Only 46 Train Services Despite 20% Increase in Passengers"

Exterior view of Gwangju Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Gwangju Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged the prompt increase of high-speed train services at Gwangju Songjeong Station to revitalize the local economy and improve transportation convenience for residents.

On the 20th, the Gwangju Chamber issued a statement urging the expansion of high-speed train services at Gwangju Songjeong Station, stating, "In recent years, demand for high-speed rail has steadily increased along with the number of passengers." They explained, "The average daily number of passengers at Gwangju Songjeong Station rose by 22.4%, from 9,800 in 2022 to 12,000 in 2024, and the annual number of passengers increased by 20%, from 3.6 million to 4.32 million."

The Chamber pointed out, "Despite this increase in demand, the limited number of high-speed train operations and the deployment of small-capacity trains at Gwangju Songjeong Station are causing significant inconvenience to local residents." They added, "This gap is even more pronounced when compared to other regions such as Daegu, Ulsan, and Busan."

They continued, "For example, Ulsan Station operates 71 trains per day for an average of 5,717 passengers, and Dongdaegu Station operates 156 trains for 14,152 passengers. In contrast, Gwangju Songjeong Station, with an average of 7,815 passengers per day, operates only 46 trains," they pointed out.

They also stated, "There is a serious imbalance in train types. Looking at the proportion of KTX Sancheon trains, Dongdaegu Station and Busan Station are at 8.3% and 8.4% respectively, but Gwangju Songjeong Station is as high as 48%, meaning that trains with smaller capacities are disproportionately assigned to Gwangju Songjeong Station." They emphasized, "This discriminatory transportation infrastructure is not just an inconvenience but a serious issue that infringes on the legitimate right to mobility for local residents."

Furthermore, they urged, "The number of KTX operations at Gwangju Songjeong Station must be increased to meet the rising demand," and "high-speed train services should be operated with appropriately sized trains to provide fair and balanced rail services."

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