NewKerala.com

South Korea's Rail Passengers Hit Record High Amid Rising Fuel Prices

South Korea's railroad services saw a record 42.11 million passengers in the first quarter, a 2.1% year-on-year increase. The rise is attributed to expanded train services, including new KTX-Eum operations and increased frequency on the Jungang Line. Higher oil prices, partly due to Middle East conflicts, have also reduced private vehicle use and boosted public transport demand. Foreign passenger numbers have shown dramatic growth, nearly doubling in recent years.

Key Points: Record Rail Passengers in South Korea Q1 Amid High Oil Prices

  • Record 42.11M rail passengers in Q1
  • KTX-Eum expansion boosts ridership
  • Rising oil prices reduce private car use
  • Foreign rail users nearly doubled since 2023
2 min read

Railroad users reach record high in Q1 in S. Korea amid rising oil

South Korea's railroad passenger numbers hit a record 42.11 million in Q1, driven by expanded services and rising oil prices reducing car use.

"passenger numbers increased partly due to expanded services - Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL)"

Seoul, April 12

The number of passengers using South Korea's railroad services reached a record high of over 42 million in the first quarter of the year, data showed on Sunday, partly driven by expanded train operations and rising oil prices that reduced private vehicle use.

The number of passengers on high-speed KTX and other railroad lines across the country totaled 42.11 million in the January-March period, up 2.1 percent from 41.25 million recorded during the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) and SR Corp, reports Yonhap news agency.

KORAIL said passenger numbers increased partly due to expanded services, including the KTX-Eum train on the Donghae Line between the eastern city of Gangneung and the southeastern port city of Busan, which began operating six times a day late last year.

It also cited increased service frequency on the Jungang Line, which rose from six to 18 daily trips.

Industry watchers said the increase was also due to higher oil prices stemming from the Middle East conflict that erupted in late February, which reduced private car use and boosted public transportation demand.

In March alone, the number of rail passengers reached 14.62 million, up 2.4 percent from a year earlier and 7.3 percent from the previous month, the data showed.

Meanwhile, the number of foreigners using South Korea's railway services reached nearly 3 million in the first half of last year, nearly doubling from two years earlier, local railway operators said.

From January to June, a total of 85.09 million passengers used the railway services, with foreigners accounting for 2.84 million, or 3.3 percent, according to SR, the operator of the SRT high-speed train service, and Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), the operator of KTX high-speed trains and regular trains.

The first-half figure for foreign passengers rose 13 percent from 2.5 million during the same period in 2024 and surged 99 percent from 1.43 million in the first half of 2023.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Rising oil prices are a global issue, but it's smart how it's pushing people towards greener options. In India, when petrol prices go up, we also see more people using metros and local trains. Hope our government invests more in making public transport affordable and reliable.
R
Rohit P
Nearly doubling foreign tourists on trains in two years is impressive! South Korea is clearly doing something right with tourism and infrastructure. India has so much potential for railway tourism too - think of the routes through Rajasthan or to Darjeeling. We need to market that better to the world.
S
Sarah B
While the numbers are good, the article mentions a conflict driving oil prices. It's a bit sad that global instability is what pushes people to use public transport, rather than it being the preferred choice due to comfort and efficiency. A respectful criticism: we should build systems people want to use in good times and bad.
V
Vikram M
Increasing service frequency from 6 to 18 trips daily is a game-changer! That's the kind of planning we need on busy Indian routes. The Delhi-Mumbai corridor would benefit massively from such high frequency. More trains means less crowding and happier passengers.
K
Karthik V
Good data. It shows a direct correlation between oil prices and public transport use. In India, our railways carry crores of people daily. If we can make them more punctual and clean, even car owners might switch for shorter journeys. The key is reliability.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50