Gyeongui Line Trains Resume Four Days After Seosomun Collapse... Full Service Expected by the 31st

First KTX Train Departs from Haengsin Station, Passes Safely Through Seosomun Section
KTX-Eum Services Resume Normal Operations Between Seoul and Cheongnyangni

Train operations on the Gyeongui Line, which had been disrupted due to the collapse of the Seosomun elevated road in Seoul, resumed on the 30th, four days after the accident.

On the 30th, train services on the Gyeongui Line, which had been disrupted due to the collapse of the overpass in Seosomun, Seoul, have resumed, and trains are passing through. Photo by Yonhap News.

On the same day, KTX-Eum trains on the Gangneung and Jungang Lines also began normal operations between Seoul and Cheongnyangni Stations, increasing the likelihood that all services will be fully restored before the 31st.

According to Korail, the first train (KTX No. 405) passing through the Gyeongui Line departed from Haengsin Station in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, at exactly 6:00 a.m. on this day. This marks the first resumption in four days since services were disrupted by the aftermath of the Seosomun overpass collapse on the 26th.

This train safely passed through the Seosomun section at around 6:18 a.m. and arrived at Seoul Station about two minutes later. The first commuter train on the Gyeongui Line, departing from Munsan and passing through Paju, Ilsan, Haengsin, and Sinchon before reaching Seoul Station, also departed as scheduled at approximately 5:37 a.m.

The railway authorities worked overnight to restore railway facilities, including demolition and installation of catenary poles, overhead wire installation, cable laying, signal equipment setup, and track inspections, following the completion of the Seosomun demolition work by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Safety checks, such as test runs with service vehicles and trains, were also conducted.

Korail expects that, as additional trains are deployed after completing inspections and maintenance, all train services will gradually return to normal starting from the 31st. It added that metropolitan commuter rail services are currently operating normally overall.

As of the 30th, the total number of train operations confirmed the previous day was 643, down by 115 from the usual 758. This results in an operation rate of 84.8%. According to Korail, high-speed trains such as KTX and KTX-Eum decreased from 397 to 341 runs (operation rate: 85.9%), while general trains such as ITX-Saemaeul, Maeum, and Mugunghwa-ho dropped from 361 to 302 runs (operation rate: 83.7%).

Korail also announced that, starting from the 30th, KTX trains that had been making temporary stops at all stations will now stop according to their original schedule.

However, passengers are advised to check train schedules and operational status in advance through the 'KorailTalk' mobile application, the Korail website, or the rail customer center before using the trains. Tickets refunded due to operational adjustments will be processed without any penalty, and those paid by credit card will be automatically refunded.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.