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Transportation in South Korea
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Transportation in South Korea is provided by extensive networks of railways, highways, bus routes, ferry services, and air routes that criss-cross the country.
Railways
South Korea has an excellent railroad network. The first railroad, which linked Seoul and Incheon, was opened in September 18, 1899. Other major lines were laid by the Japanese during the colonial period; these included lines originating in Mokpo, Masan, and Busan.
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Encyclopedia
Transportation in South Korea is provided by extensive networks of railways, highways, bus routes, ferry services, and air routes that criss-cross the country.
Railways
South Korea has an excellent railroad network. The first railroad, which linked Seoul and Incheon, was opened in September 18, 1899. Other major lines were laid by the Japanese during the colonial period; these included lines originating in Mokpo, Masan, and Busan. These lines connected to Seoul and to Sinuiju in North Korea, where they were linked with the Trans-Siberian Railway. The railroad network was badly damaged during the Korean War, but it was later rebuilt and improved.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the Korean National Railroad, a state-run corporation under the Ministry of Transportation, was in charge of all rails and continued electrifying heavily used tracks and laying additional tracks. As of 1987, the combined length of the country's railroad network was approximately 6,340 kilometers, including approximately 761.8 kilometers of doubletrack railroads and 1,023 kilometers of electric railroads. Suburban lines were electrified and connected to the Seoul subway system. Rolling stock included 459 diesel locomotives, 90 electric locomotives, 133 motor coaches, and 370 electric motor cars. In 1989 the Ministry of Transportation and Construction announced that it was studying the possibility of constructing high-speed railway systems similar to those in Japan and France.
Railroads in the 1980s were useful primarily in the transportation of freight, but they also were important for passenger traffic around Seoul and in the heavily-traveled corridor linking the capital with the southern port of Busan. Although the railroad system grew little during the 1980s (there were already 5,600 kilometers of tracks in 1980), rail improvements--the increased electrification of tracks, replacement of older tracks, and the addition of rolling stock-- allowed rail traffic to boom. Some of the busiest lines south of Seoul linking the capital with Busan and Mokpo had three or four tracks. The 1980s also saw the introduction of high-speed trains connecting Seoul with Busan, Jeonju, Mokpo, and Gyeongju. The famous "Blue Train" (Saemaul-ho) between Seoul and Busan (via Daejeon and Daegu) took only four hours and fifty minutes and offered two classes of service: first class and special. In 1987 approximately 525 million passengers and 59.28 million metric tons were transported by the railroad system.
Railroad passenger number in South Korea have been decreasing since the 1990s. However, despite continuous road construction, railways are still one of the primary means by which South Koreans travel over long distances within the country.
total:
3,472 km
standard gauge:
3,472 km 1.435 m gauge (1,742 km electrified) (2007)
Korail is the sole passenger railway operator.
Railway Lines
The principal railway line is the Gyeongbu Line, which connects the capital and largest city (Seoul) with the country's second largest city and largest seaport (Busan); the second is the Honam Line, which branches off the Gyeongbu Line at Daejeon, and ends at Gwangju or Mokpo.
The following is a table of major railway lines in South Korea:
| Line Name | Hangul | Major Stations or Areas Served | Operator |
|---|
| Gaya Line | ??? | Gaya | Korail | | Bukjeonju Line | ???? | Jeonju | | Yeocheon Line | ??? | Yeocheon | | Gyeongbu Line | ??? | Seoul, Daejeon, Dongdaegu, Busan | | Gyeongbu Line (KTX) | ??? | Seoul, Daejeon, Dongdaegu, Busan | | Gyeongui Line | ??? | Seoul, Paju | | Seoul Gyowoi Line | ????? | Goyang, Yangju, Uijeongbu | | Gyeongin Line | ??? | Guro, Bupyeong Station, Incheon | | Gyeongwon Line | ??? | Yongsan, Cheongnyangni, Uijeongbu, Soyosan, Sintanni | | Gyeongchun Line | ??? | Cheongnyangni, Chuncheon | | Janghang Line | ??? | Cheonan, Janghang, Iksan | | Chungbuk Line | ??? | Jochiwon, Cheongju, Chungju, Bongyang | | Honam Line | ??? | Seodaejeon, Iksan, Songjeongni, Naju, Mokpo | | Honam Line (KTX) | ??? | Yongsan, Seodaejeon, Iksan, Songjeongni, Naju, Mokpo | | Jeolla Line | ??? | Iksan, Jeonju, Suncheon, Yeosu | | Jungang Line | ??? | Cheongnyangni, Wonju, Jecheon, Yeongju, Andong, Gyeongju | | Gyeongbuk Line | ??? | Gimcheon, Yeongju | | Yeongdong Line | ??? | Yeongju, Donghae, Gangneung | | Taebaek Line | ??? | Jecheon, Taebaek | | Donghae Nambu Line | ????? | Bujeon, Ulsan, Gyeongju, Pohang | | Donghae Bukbu Line | ????? | Jejin | | Gyeongjeon Line | ??? | Samnangjin, Masan, Jinju, Suncheon, Songjeongni | | Jinhae Line | ??? | Jinhae | | Jeongseon Line | ??? | Jeongseon | | Mungyeong Line | ??? | Mungyeong | | Gaun Line | ??? | Gaeun | | Gwangju Line | ??? | Songjeongni, Gwangju | | Hwasun Line | ??? | Jangdong | | Gunsan Line | ??? | Gunsan | | Okgu Line | ??? | Okgu | | AREX | ???????? | Incheon Airport, Gimpo Airport, Seoul (2010) | Airport Express Co. |
(high-speed service is available for bold lines)
For former or proposed railway lines, see the articles on the Gimpo Line, Suryo Line, and Kumgang-san Line. For planned lines or lines under construction, see Suin Line, Jungbunaeryuk Line and Gangwon Line.
There is no railway service on Jeju Island.
Classes of service
Frequent service is provided on most routes, with trains every 15-60 minutes connecting Seoul to all major South Korean cities. Four classes of train operate: KTX, which is the Korean high-speed railway system, takes passengers from downtown Seoul to downtown Busan faster than an airplane (including check-in time), makes fewer stops and is more expensive than other trains; the Saemaul-ho (????, "New Village") service, makes more stops but still provides comfortable seating; Mugunghwa-ho (????, "Rose of Sharon") service, which is the most popular, stops at most but not all stations, and offers a mixture of reserved and unreserved seating; Commuter (?? ??) service, which is the slowest and cheapest of the four, stops at all stops, and offers no reserved seating.
High-speed service
A high-speed railway by the name of the Korea Train Express (KTX) is currently in service between Seoul, Busan and Mokpo. The railway uses French TGV technology. Service started in April 2004—with some sections operating along preexisting track—while service on the railway's fully separated tracks is planned to begin on the Gyeongbu Line in 2010. Trains can reach a maximum speed of 300 km/h on dedicated high-speed track.
In 2005, solely Korean high-speed railway technology was devised, culminating in the HSR-350x and Korea became the fourth most prolific high-speed train producing nation. By 2007-2008, the HSR-350x will be in service on the Honam Line.
There is also a high-speed train for normal tracks, as a tilting train known as the TTX (Tilting Train eXpress). This may be in service on the normal Gyeongbu and Honam lines because the TTX uses an ATP safety system.
Currently, these lines provide high-speed service:
- Gyeongbu Line (KTX): Haengsin(depot) - Seoul - Gwangmyeong - Cheonan-Asan - Daejeon - Dongdaegu - Miryang - Gupo - Busan
- Honam Line (KTX): Haengsin(depot) - Yongsan - Gwangmyeong - Cheonan-Asan - Seodaejeon - Nonsan - Iksan - Gimjae - Jeongeup - Jangseong - Gwangju/Songjeongni - Naju - Mokpo
Services to North Korea
Until the division of Korea following the end of the Second World War, the Gyeongui Line and Gyeongwon Line extended into what is now North Korea. The Gyeongui Line connected Seoul to Kaesong, Pyongyang, and Sinuiju on the Chinese border, while the Gyeongwon Line served Wonsan on the east coast. Another line—the Kumgang-san Line—connected the town of Cheorwon, now on the border of North and South Korea, on the Gyeongwon Line, to Mt. Geumgang, now in the North. The Gyeongui Line is one of two lines whose southern and northern halves are now being reconnected, the other line being the Donghae Bukbu Line. On 17 May, 2007, two test trains ran on the reconnected lines: one on the west line from Munsan to Kaesong; the second on the east from Jejin to Kumgang.
In December 2007, regular freight service started on the west line, from South Korea into the Kaesong Industrial Park in the north. The service has been underutilized, however: as it was reported in October 2008, on 150 out of 163 return trips that had been done so far, the train carried no cargo at all. The total amount of cargo carried over this period had been merely 340 tons. This absence of interest in the service has been explained by the customers' (companies operating in Kaesong) preference for road transport.
Timeline
2008
Subways
Main article: Subways in South Korea
South Korea's six largest cities—Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon and Incheon—all have subway systems.
Seoul's subway system is the oldest system in the country, with the Seoul Station-Cheongnyangni section of Line 1 opening in 1974.
Streetcars
Streetcars operated in Seoul from the turn of the 20th century until roughly 1970. The network covered the whole downtown area (Jung-gu and Jongno-gu) as well as surrounding neighbourhoods, including Cheongnyangni in the east, Mapo-gu in the west, and Noryangjin across the Han River to the south. The network was largely replaced by the subway system whose construction began in the early 1970s. Lines 1 and 2 follow the old streetcar routes along Jongno and Euljiro respectively.
Buses
Regional services
Virtually all towns in South Korea of any size whatsoever are served by regional bus service. Regional routes are classified as Gosok bus ("high speed". express bus) or Shioe bus (pronounced "shee-way" -- literally, "suburban". intercity bus) with Gosok buses operating over the longer distances and making the fewest (if any) stops en route. Shioe buses typically operate over shorter distances, are somewhat slower, and make more stops.
Local services
Within cities and towns, two types of city bus operate in general: Jwaseok ("coach")
and Doshihyeong or Ipseok ("city type" or "standing"). Both types of bus often serve the same routes, make the same (or fewer) stops, and operate on similar frequencies, but Jwaseok buses are more expensive and offer comfortable seating, while Doshihyeong buses are cheaper and have fewer and less comfortable seats. Many small cities and towns do not have Jwaseok buses, and their buses are officially called Nongeochon Buses ("buses of rural areas").
Some cities have their own bus classifying system.
| 'Traditional' type of bus | Seoul | Busan | Daegu | Daejeon | Jwaseok | Rapid ("gwangyeok", red)
Trunk ("ganseon", blue) | Rapid ("geuphaeng")
Coach ("jwaseok") | Rapid ("geuphaeng")
Trunk Coach("ganseon jwaseok") | Rapid ("geuphaeng", red)
Trunk ("ganseon", blue) | Doshihyeong/Ipseok | Trunk ("ganseon", blue)
Branch ("jiseon", green) | Regular ("ilban") | Circulation ("sunhwan")
Trunk ("ganseon")
Branch ("jiseon") | Trunk ("ganseon", blue)
Branch ("jiseon", green) | Village | Branch ("jiseon", green)
Circulation ("sunhwan", yellow) | Village ("maeul-bus") | N/A | Branch ("jiseon", green)
Outer ("oekwak", green)
Village ("maeul-bus") |
Other services
Incheon International Airport is served by an extensive network of comfortable, high-speed buses from all parts of the country. While many department stores previously had their own small network of free buses for shoppers, this is no longer so due to government regulations. However, most churches, daycare centres and private schools still send buses around to pick up their congregants, patients or pupils.
Roads
Main article: Roads and Expressways in South Korea
Domestic transportation improved greatly during the 1980s, and growth was evident in all sectors. The rapid improvement and extension of public roads and the increasing availability of motor vehicles contributed enormously to the mobility of the population. Approximately 51,000 kilometers of roadways spanned the country in 1988, 46.3 percent of which were paved. Express highways facilitated travel between major cities and reached a combined length of 1,539 kilometers in 1988, compared with 86.8 kilometers in 1967 (see fig. 11). The 1980s saw increased paving of roads and the building of ultramodern highways around Seoul (especially in the vicinity of the Olympic stadiums) and between Seoul and such major cities as Busan and Daegu. In 1989 the government announced that it would start construction on nine new expressways with a combined length of 1,243 kilometers. In 1996, when the expressways and two additional projects were expected to be completed, South Korea was expected to have twenty-one expressways with a combined length of 2,840 kilometers.
The total number of motor vehicles climbed rapidly in the 1980s. By 1987 there were approximately 845,000 passenger cars and 748,000 commercial vehicles, up from a combined total of about 744,000 in 1980. In 1988 South Korean automakers produced 504,000 vehicles for domestic sale and 576,134 vehicles for export. In the first nine months of 1989, domestic sales reached nearly 800,000 vehicles.
The expansion and rapid improvement of South Korea's long-distance highway system led to the growth of an expansive, affordable and frequent intercity bus system in the 1980s. In 1988 there were ten express bus companies operating a fleet of some 900 buses connecting all of the major cities of South Korea.
total:
86,990 km
paved:
64,808 km (including 1,996 km of expressways)
unpaved:
22,182 km (1998 est.)
Highways in South Korea are classified as freeways (expressways/motorways), national highways, and various classifications below the national level. Almost all freeways are toll highways, and all freeways except Route 130 are operated by the Korea Expressway Corporation . The freeway network serves most parts of South Korea. The Highway Corporation operates service amenities (dining and service facilities) en route. ()
Waterways
There are 1,609km of navigable waterways in South Korea, though use is restricted to small craft.
Ferries
Virtually cut off from the Asian mainland, South Korea is a seafaring nation, with one of the world's largest shipbuilding industries and an extensive system of ferry services. As one of the world's most advanced IT technology exporters, South Korea operates one of the largest merchant fleets that sail regularly to China, Japan and the Middle East. Most fleet operators are large conglomerates, while most ferry operators are small, private operators. The south and west coasts of the country are dotted with small islands which are served by ferries. In addition, the larger offshore Jeju and Ulleung Islands are also served by ferry. Ferries also operate between South Korea, China, and Japan. Major centres for ferry service include Incheon, Mokpo, Pohang, and Busan.
Ports and Harbours
The following is a list of South Korea's ports: Jinhae, Incheon, Gunsan, Masan, Mokpo, Pohang, Busan, Donghae, Ulsan, Yeosu, Jeju.
Merchant Marine
There is a total of 461 merchant ships (1,000 GRT or over) totalling 5,093,620 GRT/. These are divisible by type as follows.
bulk 98, cargo 149, chemical tanker 39, combination bulk 4, container 53, liquefied gas 13, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 61, refrigerated cargo 26, roll-on/roll-off 4, specialised tanker 4, vehicle carrier 6 (1999 est.)
Air Travel
Although most interurban travel was either by express bus or by train, air service between major cities is increasingly available and popular, especially among business travelers. Korean Air, founded by the government in 1962 and privately owned since 1969, was South Korea's sole airline until 1988. Korean Air served nine major domestic routes in 1988 and offered international service to Canada, England, France, Hong Kong, Iraq, Japan, Libya, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and West Germany. A second carrier, Asiana Airlines, was established in 1988 to serve three domestic cities. To accommodate the rapidly growing number of air travelers, Incheon International Airport (which serves Seoul) opened in 2001. There are also international airports at Gimpo (in Seoul), Gimhae Airport (in Busan), Jeju, Cheongju, and Yangyang. Some international/domestic airports are under construction.
Airlines
South Korea is served by two international airlines: the largest carrier being Korean Air and the second largest being Asiana Airlines . Both provide frequent domestic service and operate extensive international networks. There are also two small domestic airliners (Hansung Airlines and Jeju Air) on service with much lower fares.
Airports
Seoul is served by two airports: Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport (formerly Kimpo International Airport). International routes mainly serve Incheon, while domestic services mainly use Gimpo. Other major airports are located at Busan and Jeju.
There are 103 airports in South Korea (1999 est.) and these may be classified as follows.
Airports with paved runways:
total:
67
over 3,047 m:
1
2,438 to 3,047 m:
18
1,524 to 2,437 m:
15
914 to 1,523 m:
13
under 914 m:
20 (1999 est.)
Airports with unpaved runways:
total:
36
over 3,047 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
3
under 914 m:
32 (1999 est.)
Heliports:
203 (1999 est.)
Pipelines
These pipelines are for petroleum products.
Additionally, there is a parallel petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) pipeline being completed
See also
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