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Traveling by Train in South Korea

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During my trip to South Korea, I rode the rails twice. The first was the express train from Incheon International Airport to Downtown Seoul. Leaving Incheon International Airport, there are two train options: the Express or the All-Stops.

The Express (Orange) Train, which I took, cost 9500 Korean Won (KRW).  Depending on which Terminal you depart from (Terminal 1 or 2), it is a 45-50 minute ride directly to Seoul Station.  Trains depart on average 40 minutes apart.  

The All-Stops (Blue) Train consists of 11 stops between Incheon and Seoul.  The cost is cheaper, 4750 KRW, but it takes about one hour and fifteen minutes to get to Seoul.  The train stops at Seoul's other airport, Gimpo International.

Getting from customs to the airport train station was easy, and purchasing a ticket was also simple.  Tickets can be purchased at a walk-up ticket counter, self-service kiosks, or in advance through the AREX (Airport Express) website.

After purchasing my ticket and scanning it at the entry gate, I waited about 20 minutes for the train to arrive.  The train ride was smooth and quiet.  There were luggage bays at the front and rear of each car, along with overhead bays.  Seating is assigned.  Sadly, after a long 14-and-a-half-hour flight, I was exhausted and forgot to take photos of the 

The T-Money Card can be used for most public transportation in South Korea.

Since the Airport trains connect to the main Seoul Station and Subway, you can purchase a T-Money card on the train or at the airport.  The card is the public transportation fare card for most cities in South Korea.

KTX 207:

After the weekend in Seoul, I headed south to Changwon via the Korea Rail System.  Known as Korail or KTX, high-speed rail is a very popular mode of travel between major cities in South Korea for citizens and foreigners alike.  

Seoul Station is full of activity.

Seoul's main station is massive and is home to 14 active platforms.  If you arrive early, the waiting area is full of shops and restaurants.  You wait until your train number is posted with its platform number.  An elevator or stairs take you down to the platform.  Again, you have an assigned seat on the train.

While we were not on a "bullet train" - trains from Seoul to Busan can go over 300 km/h (~185 mph) - we did go about 180 km/h (~110 mph).  It took us just over three hours to travel the 305-mile ride.

Though I had booked my trip to Korea over a month in advance, you can only book train tickets on KTX lines one month in advance. There are two classes: economy and first. I rode in economy class.  

The KTX207 passenger cars were older but very comfortable.

The passenger car I rode in was older, yet quiet and comfortable.  As we departed Seoul, I noticed some of the more modern trains and their streamlined cars.  As we exit Seoul, we bypass many other stations on our way to our first stop in Gwangmyeong.  The station arrival notification is first in Korean, then in English.

For the early part of the ride, a passenger sits next to me.  First, a young woman, and later a Korean serviceman.  She gets off at Gwangmyeong - the Korean Army guy disappears, and someone else sits next to me.  The infill stations we had bypassed leaving Seoul have transitioned to a more rural countryside.,

A good example of the landscape in South Korea.

The ride is so quiet; passengers aren't really talking to each other.  I'm not sure if it is due to Monday morning or the culture. Within an hour, we have it to Daejeon - our third stop.  The older gentleman who sat next to me departed.  A mix of fog and being on the sun side of the car makes it hard to get as many photos as I wish.

The ride is a mix of long viaducts and tunnels.  There is not one at-grade crossing for the entirety of the journey.  While we have long left the dense urban landscape of Seoul, the residential high-rises of smaller towns and bigger cities remain.  However, the rolling beauty of South Korea is on display.  It reminds me of the North Carolina High Country and Southwestern Virginia.  Inside the tunnels, the train picks up speed, and there's enough pressure to make your ears want to pop.

I'm continually amazed at how quiet the journey is. I also take note of one thing missing - graffiti, even at the abandoned line stations.  

During the last half of the ride, I can't help wanting to nap, yet the curiosity of viewing a new landscape keeps me going.  The train is pretty much empty for the last hour or so of the trip.  It is just the quiet rhythm of the rails.  The morning fog that made it difficult to take photos out my window has burned off, and I enjoy the remaining miles.

The end of the ride was at Changwon Station.

Can it be done here?:

Throughout my ride, I couldn't help but think, could rail travel like this be possible in the United States?  Rail, let alone higher-speed rail, has always been a controversial topic here.  Overly romanticized by some, obsessed by a few more, and disliked by others, rail travel is rarely the first option here in America.

But could that change - and where does it make sense?  In my personal opinion, it can be a great alternative to the heavy traffic Interstate corridors, where a normal drive is about three to five hours.  That seems to be the sweet spot - too close to go through the hassle at the airport - but far enough where not driving would be a welcome option.

There are limited examples of where this is in place today.  Brightline's Miami-to-Orlando line appears to be successful, and the company is beginning to construct a line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.  Brightline also hopes to extend its Florida operations to Tampa and possibly Jacksonville.

Here in North Carolina, the Raleigh-to-Charlotte rail line continues to be increasingly popular with five daily trains connecting the two cities.  And of course, in the Northeast Corridor, rail is an extremely popular option.

Corridors like Charlotte to Atlanta, St. Louis to Kansas City, and Dallas to Houston are just a few others that come to mind.  I don't know how well rail operates in the western examples; however, the Charlotte-to-Atlanta corridor is only served by one daily train, leaving Charlotte at 3:00 am.  That makes Interstate 85 and its traffic the only viable option.

So can it be done here? Yes.  Will it? That's the harder answer.

All photos taken by post author - November 2024

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