Gangwon Province to Expand KTX Services on Sold-Out Gangneung and Donghae Lines Within the Year to Meet Rising Demand

Gangwon Province Requests Additional KTX-Eum Services on Gangneung and Donghae Lines
Annual Capacity Expected to Reach Up to 6.55 Million Passengers
Five-Hour Travel Time on Donghae Line with ITX-Maum
Essential Service Expansion Until Completion of Gangneung?Samcheok High-Speed Rail Project

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on December 8 that it is actively proposing to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) to increase the number of KTX-Eum trains on the Gangneung Line and Donghae Line, both of which have become popular routes since their opening. The province is currently in discussions with the goal of implementing additional services within the year.

Exterior view of Gangwon Provincial Government Building. Provided by Gangwon Provincial Government

Since its opening in December 2017, the Gangneung Line KTX has established itself as a key high-speed rail line connecting Seoul to Gangneung and Donghae along the East Coast. Currently, it operates 20 round trips on weekdays and 30 round trips on weekends. The daily average ridership is about 16,600, with an annual total of 6 million passengers, driving nationwide tourism demand.

Notably, although the number of annual passengers increased by about 30% over six years, from 4.7 million in 2018 (the first year of operation) to 6 million currently, the number of train services has only increased by about 15% compared to the initial schedule. As a result, the supply of trains has not kept pace with rising demand, making it very difficult for both tourists and local residents to secure tickets.

In response, the province is continuously requesting the addition of two more round-trip KTX-Eum services per day within the year. If implemented, this would accommodate up to 1,500 more passengers daily, increasing the average daily ridership to 18,100 and the annual total to an estimated 6.55 million passengers.

The Donghae Line, which opened in January 2025, surpassed 1.5 million cumulative passengers by the end of September. Among the six new routes launched, it has become the most popular, serving an average of 5,500 passengers per day in the first half of the year and establishing itself as a key transportation corridor connecting Gangwon Province and Gyeongsang Province.

However, persistent issues remain, such as the long travel time of five hours between Gangneung and Bujeon on the ITX-Maum (150 km/h) and ongoing difficulties in booking tickets. This has led to growing calls for the introduction of high-speed trains to improve travel speed and convenience.

The province is requesting two additional round-trip KTX-Eum services and, at the same time, emphasizing the necessity of the Samcheok-Gangneung high-speed rail project. A preliminary feasibility study for the Samcheok-Gangneung high-speed rail is currently underway, and 1 billion KRW has been allocated in next year's national budget for the project.

If the Donghae Line KTX-Eum is newly introduced, the travel time between Bujeon and Gangneung for two round trips per day will be reduced from five hours to three hours and fifty minutes. This is expected to increase daily ridership to 7,100 and annual ridership to 2.55 million passengers.

Governor Kim Jin-tae stated, "Both the Gangneung Line and Donghae Line are popular routes that are difficult to book, so we are working to increase train frequency," emphasizing, "In particular, introducing new KTX services on the Donghae Line is essential until the Gangneung-Samcheok high-speed rail project is completed."

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