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In mid-December 2017, the Korea Railway Corporation (KORAIL) officially announced the operation of the Kyeongkang special railway line, providing specific information on the number of service times, a list of stops, and other relevant details. The Kyeongkang KTX high-speed railway will run directly from Seoul and the neighboring provinces of Gangwon-do and Gyeonggi-do (the capital region of South Korea) to the eastern coast of South Korea. Previously, before the Kyeongkang line, passengers wishing to travel from the capital region to Gangwon-do or the eastern coast would have to spend more than 3 hours by train and bus using the high-speed train, or up to 6 hours using a regular train. Therefore, travel time was significantly affected. However, if traveling on the Kyeongkang KTX line, the journey to Gangneung City, Gangwon-do Province, takes 1 hour and 54 minutes if departing from Seoul Station and 1 hour and 26 minutes if departing from Cheongnyangni Station. This makes exploring the capital area in a single day easier than ever.
For example: From Cheongnyangni Station (Seoul) to PyeongChang (Gangwon-do): It takes 2 hours and 40 minutes by car, or 3 hours by bus (Dong Seoul -> Hwengkye -> Resort route).
The Kyeongkang KTX high-speed rail line will operate between Seoul and Cheongnyangni stations (Seoul) with 18 trains per day from Monday to Thursday and 26 trains per day on weekends (Friday to Sunday). With this frequency, it is estimated that approximately 19,000 passengers will travel daily via the Kyeongkang line. The fare for the Seoul – Gangneung route is 27,600 won, and for the Cheongnyangni – Gangneung route is 26,000 won. Compared to the fare of 21,100 won for the Mugunghwa train and express buses from Cheongnyangni to Jeongdongjin, traveling by Kyeongkang KTX is more economical and saves travelers considerable time.
In particular, during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, to meet the travel needs of visitors, KORAIL also had plans to increase the number of seats for passengers. Furthermore, for visitors who had not booked accommodation near the Olympic competition area, KORAIL also offered KTX train services at convenient times.
Furthermore, during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games in February 2018, the Kyeongkang KTX high-speed rail line will be expanded from Terminal 2 at Incheon International Airport directly to Gangneung with 16 trains per day to facilitate travel for tourists arriving at the airport and directly to the Olympic venues.
Additionally, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), in collaboration with the Korea Railway Administration, has issued a special railway pass called the “PyeongChang Korail Pass,” a convenient option exclusively for foreign tourists visiting Korea, offering many attractive benefits. This pass was available for purchase from October 10, 2017, to January 10, 2018, at KORAIL ticket stations nationwide and on the official KORAIL website. The pass is valid for trains running on the Kyeongkang railway line from February 1, 2018, to March 25, 2018.
Please refer to the terms and conditions of the PyeongChang Korail Pass:
- Special offer for passengers who pre-order the card between October 10, 2017 and January 10, 2018.
- The PyeongChang Korail Pass is in Plus version and can be used like a regular transport card for other public transport such as the subway and buses.
- There is 5,000 won available on the card received.
- Free city tour bus tours nationwide.
- The PyeongChang Korail Pass can be used on any train operated on the Kyeongkang KTX line managed by Korail. (Other railway passes are not applicable for trains running on the Seoul – Gangneung route from February 1, 2018 to March 25, 2018)
- Customers who purchase a PyeongChang Korail Pass are entitled to choose their seat on trains running on the Kyeongkang line two months before their first use of the pass (applicable from February 1st to February 28th, 2018). However, during this period, for trains running on other lines, seat selection is limited to one month before the first use of the pass.
- During the Korean Lunar New Year holiday from February 14th to February 18th, 2018, please visit the official KORAIL website for booking information.
- KORAIL's official website: www.letskorail.com/pyeongchang (Go to the Q&A section to ask questions)
- KORAIL customer service hotline: +82-1599-7777 / +82-1544-7788
For detailed information, please refer to:
- English website:http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TRP/TP_ENG_8_4.jsp
For detailed information about the PyeongChang Korail Pass, please visit:
- English website:http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AKR/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=2509360
