A survey of passengers using cross-operated KTX-SRT trains found that 88.3% of respondents were satisfied with the cross-service operation.
The survey was conducted from February 25 to March 11 among 392 passengers of cross-operated KTX and SRT trains (152 KTX and 240 SRT passengers). It collected opinions on 10 questions covering awareness of cross-operations, service satisfaction, and expectations for integration.
According to the results, 88.3% of respondents said they were "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with the cross-operation service. Only 9.4% rated it "average" and 2.3% expressed dissatisfaction, confirming very high overall customer satisfaction.
However, passengers identified several areas for improvement under future integrated operations. These included unifying the reservation apps, expanding seat availability, and resolving inconveniences caused by detour routes. Expanding seat availability, in particular, drew a 49.7% response rate, ranking high across all age groups.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), Korail, and SR plan to launch integrated operations by September to expand seat availability evenly across regions. They also plan to build a unified app enabling bookings for both KTX and SRT, timed to coincide with the integrated operations without delay.
"This survey allowed us to confirm the public's expectations and wishes regarding high-speed rail integration," Kim Tae-byeong, director general of the Railroad Bureau at MOLIT, said. "We will actively address the inconveniences identified and meet public expectations through swift integration."
"Through this survey, we were able to confirm customers' demands and their high expectations for integrated operations," Korail CEO Kim Tae-seung said. "Based on the survey results, we will concentrate all our capabilities on providing a more convenient and unified rail service."
SR CEO Jeong Wang-guk said, "We believe cross-operations have raised customer satisfaction by supplying more seats to passengers in the southeastern Seoul metropolitan area and widening choices such as Suseo and Seoul stations. We will actively review and act on service improvement suggestions to enhance customer satisfaction."