Korean Trains Story

First trains began to service passengers in 1899. They connected Jemulpo with Han River near Yeongdeungpo. The major lines were later laid during the Japanese rule of Korea. The railway system of South Korea was even attached to the Trans-Siberian Railway but was hardly damaged during the Korean War.

Korean rail is mainly operated by government-owned corporation Korail, but there are several high-speed lines which are owned and managed by private companies. South Korean railways are highly integrated into subway systems of the biggest Korean cities. That makes transportation of passengers more convenient while using the most logical conjunctions.

In December 26, 2018, after long preparations, South and North Korean Railway systems were re-connected. However, due to the poor condition of the railroad section between both countries, there are still a lot of construction and survey works needs to be done. That will allow using this route more actively.

Korean Train Types

In South Korea, there are two major train operators: KORAIL and SR. All trains in their park can be divided into bullet and regular trains. We'll tell you in details about each type of train in South Korea. Here is the main list - click to know more:

• KTX - Korean Train eXpress;
• ITX - Intercity Train eXpress;
• Saemaeul-ho;
• Mugunghwa-ho;
• Nuriro;
• Suseo SRT - Super Rapid Train.

Train speed

Operated speed on Korean Railway depends on the train and line type varying from 90 km/h to 305 km/h. Bullet trains on lines Gyeongbu HSR, Honam HSR and Sudogwon HSR have the highest operating speed: 300-305 km\h. The slowest trains run on Gyeongui Line (90 km/h).

Train Tickets

You can easily buy South Korean train tickets both on the Internet and at the railway station before departure. Almost every station is equipped with tickets vending machines. The train ticket price is significantly cheaper than airplain (while some trains, like KTX or SRT, can take you to destinations during the same amount of time), but may highly vary depending on the season, social status, tickets count in order, class of trains and plenty of other factors. From our side, we strongly recommend you to book South Korean train tickets, as well as, to check the real-time timetable, using this online service. Check out KTX website for a more detailed explanation on how to book KTX tickets.

Also, you can care about your transport cost in advance, and buy KORAIL Pass for tourists, which can be a great deal. Especially, when you are going to spend a lot of time in South Korean trains.

Inside trains and amenities

Despite train operator, KORAIL or SR, all amenities inside trains are almost the same and depend on train class you prefer. Even though first class offers top-notch service for passengers, all high speed and regular trains in South Korea are state-of-art machines. They are created to teleport you to any point of the country in a moment. And they do it smoothly and convenient for passengers. You just need to buy ticket and enjoy trip.

Basicly, all trains are equipped with spacious seats with knee room, aircraft-type folding tables, comfortable restrooms (for disabled people also), storage for lagguage and wheelchairs, power outlets for each seat, high speed Internet. In any train you can easily find cafe car with snack bar and other entertainment facilities.

​Read more about each class in our Train class Section.

Korean Trains Exteriors

Korean Trains Interiors