Pohang Rail Network Set to Expand: Seven More Daily Trains to Seoul and Suseo

Starting September 1, High-Speed Rail Service Increased to 40 Trips per Day
Significant Improvement in Gangnam Accessibility and Reduced Train Intervals

Starting from September 1, the number of high-speed trains operating between Pohang and Seoul·Suseo will increase by seven round-trips per day, further improving accessibility to the greater Seoul area.

On August 3, Kim Jeongjae, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party (Pohang Bukgu), announced that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), and SR have finalized plans to add seven high-speed rail services per day between Pohang and Seoul·Suseo in line with changes to the railway operation system.

Kim Jungjae, Member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party (Pohang Bukgu) [Photo by Office of Assemblyman Kim Jungjae]

This operational adjustment will take effect from September 1, and tickets for the additional trains will become available for reservation starting at 10 a.m. on August 5. With these new additions, the number of high-speed trains connecting Pohang and the Seoul metropolitan area on weekdays will increase from 33 to 40 per day, and from 35 to 42 per day on weekends—an increase of seven round-trips each.

By route, services on the Seoul Station–Pohang Station line will increase by three round-trips per day, both on weekdays and weekends, while services on the Suseo Station–Pohang Station line will increase by four round-trips per day, also on both weekdays and weekends.

Consequently, the Seoul Station–Pohang Station route will see an increase from 29 to 32 round-trips on weekdays and from 31 to 34 round-trips on weekends. The Suseo Station–Pohang Station route will double from four to eight round-trips per day on both weekdays and weekends.

This expansion is a response to the increasing number of passengers using the Donghae Line high-speed trains. The average daily number of Donghae Line high-speed train passengers has steadily increased, from 20,844 in 2023, to 21,498 in 2024, and 22,029 in 2025.

The train intervals will also become shorter. On the northbound line to Seoul, additional trains will be added on weekends at 6 a.m., on weekdays at 10 a.m., and at 12 p.m. every day. For Suseo-bound trains, new services will be introduced at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. every day.

On the southbound route, a new train departing from Seoul will be added at 5 a.m. on weekdays, and trains departing from Suseo will be increased at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. As a result, these measures are expected to significantly improve transportation convenience for early weekend travelers, weekday business and work-related travelers, and passengers who had previously experienced inconvenience due to long train intervals.

Kim Jeongjae stated, "Three years after the opening of the Pohang–Suseo SRT service in 2023, we have achieved the addition of seven more high-speed train services per day connecting Seoul and Suseo. In particular, doubling the number of trains at Suseo Station is expected to greatly improve transportation convenience for citizens commuting between Gangnam and southern Gyeonggi Province."

He added, "Moving forward, I will continue to monitor citizens’ railway usage and do my utmost to improve accessibility to the Seoul metropolitan area, making Pohang a city free of transportation inconveniences."

This increase is expected to strengthen connectivity in the metropolitan transportation network linking the Seoul metropolitan area and the East Sea region, while also serving as a foundation to enhance Pohang’s industrial and tourism competitiveness.

In particular, improvements to railway services that respond to increased demand for commuting, business trips, and tourism are anticipated to have a positive effect on revitalizing the local economy.

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