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KR — ZDNet Korea

Two months after KTX-SRT merger, 322,000 daily riders; 82.2% positive customer satisfaction

Mobility1 min read

Korea's high-speed trains, KTX and SRT, have been merged into one system. In the first two months, daily riders rose and many people saved money on travel costs.

What happened

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korail (the national rail operator) said the merged high-speed rail system has worked well for 60 days. More people are riding the trains, and the public has received about 51.5 billion won in discounts and mileage benefits. Public discounts that were only on KTX are now also on SRT routes. Transfer discounts between high-speed and regular trains were also made the same for everyone.

Key numbers

  • Average daily riders: 322,000, up 36,000 (12.6%) from the same period last year
  • September riders up 11.9% and October riders up 13.3% compared with last year
  • SRT routes: about 90,000 daily riders, up 29.5%
  • Daily transfer riders: up from 6,110 to 9,441 (54.4%)
  • Benefits in two months: about 51.5 billion won

Why the merger was needed

Seats on these trains were hard to get for a long time. The merger added more seats and more trains. The new app, called Korail+, launched after the merger, but users reported problems. The government and Korail fixed the most common complaints, such as keeping train type and nearby station settings and adding round-trip booking. They also plan to fix the ticket refund preview and simple booking by the end of this year.

Why it matters

The merger shows that a single rail network can carry more people and lower travel costs. However, big delays happened when people tried to book tickets during the Chuseok holiday. Officials also want to stop bots (macro programs) that grab tickets unfairly. Fixing booking problems will be key to keeping public trust.

What to watch

  • Whether the booking system stays stable during busy holidays
  • Progress on the Korail+ app fixes, including simple booking by the end of this year
  • New ways to catch and block bots that buy tickets unfairly
  • Plans to upgrade old train facilities, such as the restroom on KTX-1 trains, and to improve cleaning

Glossary

KTX
Korea's high-speed train service run by Korail.
SRT
A high-speed train company in Korea that was merged with KTX into one system.
Korail
The Korea Railroad Corporation, the national rail operator that runs trains and sells tickets.
Korail+
Korail's combined mobile app for booking and using high-speed trains.
macro
A computer program that automatically repeats actions, such as clicking to buy tickets faster than people can.

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