Starting next month on the 1st, the KTX fare between Seoul and Busan will drop by 5,400 won.
The Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) said on the 5th that it will integrate the operation of KTX and SRT services beginning September 1. The SRT will be renamed KTX-Sancheon.
Fares will be lowered first. KTX fares will fall by an average of 10 percent to match SRT levels. The Seoul-Busan fare will drop from 59,800 won to 54,400 won, a reduction of 5,400 won. The Yongsan-Gwangju Songjeong fare will fall from 46,800 won to 42,000 won, down 4,800 won.
Seat capacity will also expand. Korail will integrate its previously separate fleet operations to add 116,000 high-speed train seats per week, averaging 16,000 seats per day. The number of trips will increase from 379 to 402 on weekdays and from 431 to 457 on weekends. An additional 15,679 seats will be supplied on weekdays and 17,655 seats on weekends.
At Suseo Station, Korail will deploy KTX trains with the largest seating capacity, at 955 seats per train. A new route via Seodaejeon and Gupo stations will also be established to improve accessibility for the southern part of the Seoul metropolitan area.
Benefits for passengers departing from Suseo Station will also expand. Mileage points, which had not previously applied to SRT, will now extend to high-speed trains departing from and arriving at Suseo Station. Mileage points accrue at 5 percent of the ticket payment amount. They can be used like cash to purchase tickets, buy products at railway station convenience stores and cafes, or recharge the nationwide compatible transit card "Rail Plus." Transfer discounts will also apply. Passengers who purchase both a KTX ticket departing from or arriving at Suseo Station and a conventional train ticket will receive a 30 percent discount on the conventional train fare.
Discount products will also expand to all high-speed trains. Pregnant women will receive a 40 percent fare discount or an exemption from first-class fees. Teenagers (ages 13-24) will receive discounts of 10-30 percent, and young adults (ages 25-33) will receive discounts of 10-40 percent. Online special fares offer 10-30 percent discounts, while the "N Card" offers KTX fare discounts of 15-40 percent.
Ticket change conditions will also be eased. Previously, SRT tickets could only be changed on the day of travel, up to three hours before departure. After the integration, tickets can be changed without a fee within seven days before or after the travel date, up to 30 minutes before departure. The benefit of waiving penalty fees for refunds made within 10 minutes of payment will also expand to all integrated railway members.
Delay compensation standards will be segmented starting this month. Previously, trains delayed by 60 minutes or more were compensated at a flat 50 percent of the fare. Going forward, delays of 90 minutes or more will be compensated at 75 percent, and delays of 120 minutes or more will be compensated at the full fare.
The integrated app "Korail+" began operating on the 3rd. It allows users to search and book tickets departing from Seoul and Suseo stations at once. However, members who joined both Korail and SR, or who joined only SR, must complete an integrated membership conversion process on a separate web page. Members who joined only Korail will be converted automatically.
Korail will hold a payment discount event throughout August to commemorate the integration. It will provide a total of 200 million won in point accruals and cashback to approximately 97,000 customers who purchase tickets using simple payment methods and certain cards.
Kim Tae-seung, president of Korail, said, "The high-speed rail integration is a turning point at which Korea's railways begin a new journey," adding, "We will do our best to ensure that the public can enjoy greater happiness through a unified railway."
