Ministry, Korail to Operate 24-Hour Emergency Response System for Chuseok Holiday

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) announced that they will operate a 24-hour special transportation countermeasures headquarters and implement safety management systems to ensure the safety of railway passengers during the Chuseok holiday.

During the holiday, experts in various fields such as train control, passenger service, rolling stock, facilities, and electricity will monitor train operations in real time. To prepare for emergencies, 11 standby passenger trains and 15 electric trains will be kept ready.

Mobile maintenance teams and track inspection personnel will be deployed at major stations nationwide to minimize blind spots in safety.

On September 26 and 27, when return travelers are heavily concentrated, late-night subway trains will be operated for a total of 24 extended runs across 5 lines, including the Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1.

Crackdowns on scalping and fraudulent boarding will also be stepped up, such as conducting "mystery shopper" operations where Korail staff pose as buyers on online secondhand trading platforms to directly purchase scalped tickets and verify sellers' identities.

Additional fares will be charged for riding trains without a ticket or extending the boarding section on board.

As this is the first holiday since the high-speed rail integration, the Ministry and Korail expect that increased seat supply, improved operational efficiency, and demand distribution will make trips home more convenient.

In fact, a comparison of transportation performance for the two-week period from September 1 to 14 with the same period last year showed that the average daily passenger volume increased by 12.1% due to an increase in intermediate boarding and alighting passengers on major routes such as the Gyeongbu and Honam lines. This growth rate is about twice the seat supply increase rate (6.7%), leading to an analysis that train operational efficiency has improved.

However, as there were some inconveniences for passengers during the Chuseok ticket reservation process, such as long waiting times due to a sudden surge in concurrent users, plans are underway to closely review the overall reservation process to ensure smoother ticketing for future holidays.

Kim Tae-byeong, Director General for Railway Policy at the Ministry, said, "While seamlessly operating the increased seat supply resulting from the high-speed rail integration, we will thoroughly manage safety through pre-inspections of major stations, rolling stock, and facilities, as well as a 24-hour emergency response system, so that the public can travel home with peace of mind."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.