SEJONG, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) — South Korea will start faster bullet train services linking Seoul with the southwestern part of the country starting in March that will greatly reduce travel times, the country's railway network authority said Friday.
The Korea Rail Network Authority (KR Network) said travelers will be able to make the trip from the capital city to Gwangju, located 330 kilometers south, in 93 minutes, compared to around three hours at present.
There are already Korea Train Express (KTX) services to Gwangju, but this service is hampered by the bullet trains having to use conventional tracks for part of the journey that limited speeds to 150 kilometers per hour.
With the opening of dedicated high-speed tracks, the KTX will be able to travel at up to 300 km/h.
South Korea has been operating full-fledge high-speed train services connecting Seoul with cities in the southeastern region since 2004. The southeastern line stops at such cities as Busan, the country's largest port, as well as Daegu and Ulsan.
KR Network said the southwestern line uses the existing KTX line up to Osong station from Seoul station before it diverges off to the west.
It said new stations have been built in Gongju, Iksan, Jeongeup and Gwangju Songjung.
With the opening of the southwestern line and shorter travel time, the number of trains making the trip will be increased from 40 per day to 60.
Work on the rail line began in 2009, with total construction costs hitting 8.39 trillion won (US$7.79 billion). Modified KTX-Sancheon trains are to be used on the route. These trains have more legroom and have electrical outlets at each seat.
Ticket prices from Seoul's Yongsan station to Gwangju Songjung will likely be set at 47,000 won, up 9,000 won from the present price.
KR Network said work on the second phase of the southwestern line, which will extend the railway to Mokpo, 410 kilometers south of the capital city, has yet to begin. (Yonhap)
