Korail President Taeseung Kim: "Complete Korail-SR Integration by September... Significant Increase in Seat Availability"

"Organizational and Financial Integration Progressing Smoothly

Fully Integrated System Expected by September

Coupled Operations to Increase Seating Capacity

Financial Structure Remains a Challenge... Fare Adjustments Under Discussion"

Taeseung Kim, the new President of Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), stated regarding the integration with Super Rapid Train (SRT) operator SR, "By this coming September, we will see a fully integrated system with SR both organizationally and operationally." He anticipated that, following the integration, the reservation systems for KTX and SRT would be unified and that the supply of seats for trains departing from and arriving at Suseo Station bound for regional destinations would increase.

At a press meeting with reporters accredited by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 15th, President Kim said, "The integration is proceeding smoothly in various aspects, including organizational structure, financial structure, safety systems, and the app."

Kim Taeseung, the new president of Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), is explaining the progress of the integration between KORAIL and SR at a meeting with reporters from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 15th. Photo by KORAIL

Regarding changes that passengers will notice after the integration, he highlighted the unification of the reservation systems and an increase in the number of seats. In particular, he emphasized the anticipated effect of expanding seating capacity through coupled train operations. Coupled train operation involves connecting KTX and SRT cars to run as a single train. Starting on the 15th, KORAIL launched trial coupled operations once in each direction on certain sections of both the Honam and Gyeongbu lines. On the Honam Line (Suseo~Gwangjeong Songjeong), which previously operated as a single train, the addition of a KTX-Sancheon train will increase the number of seats from 410 to 820.

He explained, "After the integration, reservations will be possible through a single app without distinguishing between KTX and SRT." He added, "In the past, it was difficult to dramatically increase the number of operations due to issues in the Pyeongtaek~Osong section, but with coupled operations, passengers will notice a substantial increase in available seats."

On the 14th, the coupling demonstration of SRT and KTX-Sancheon is being conducted at the Honam Railroad Vehicle Depot. Once connected, the two trains will operate as a single train. Provided by Korail.

The high-speed rail brand will be unified under the KTX name. President Kim announced, "We have agreed with SR to use KTX as the unified brand."

Improvement of the rail sector’s financial structure remains a challenge after the integration. KORAIL’s debt increased from 21.1844 trillion won in 2024 to 22.1533 trillion won last year. The debt ratio rose by 20.3 percentage points year-on-year to 280.2%. As a result, KORAIL sees fare adjustment as inevitable. Previously, KORAIL had announced plans to increase high-speed rail fares by 17% last year, but this was put on hold with the advancement of the integration process.

On the 14th, SRT EMU 320 and KTX-Cheongryong were parked at the Honam Railroad Vehicle Depot in Gwangju. Provided by Korail.

President Kim stated, "We have not increased fares in the last 15 years, which has created significant financial pressure." He continued, "Since public consensus is fundamentally required and agreements must be reached with economic ministries and lawmakers, we need to discuss an appropriate level of increase through a consensus-building process." Addressing criticism that the government’s public service obligation (PSO) support is insufficient to offset losses from KORAIL’s public functions, he said, "Compared to Europe, Korea's PSO coverage is limited, and all 27 lines should be included under PSO." He expressed his commitment, saying, "I took office hoping to discuss this systematically with the relevant budget authorities."

Regarding the recent issue of delayed train car deliveries from Dawonsys, he expressed a strong intention to promptly reissue procurement orders. Due to Dawonsys’s large-scale supply delays, KORAIL announced a project on the 8th to remodel aging Mugunghwa-ho passenger cars, as the introduction of new regular trains was disrupted. President Kim said, "About 330 cars have not been delivered," and added, "For the most urgent batch of 146 cars, we will reissue the order by July."

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