Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon looks around a new train for Subway Line 9 Wednesday. The new line will open in late May, connecting Gimpo Airport in western Seoul to the southern Seoul area. / Yonhap |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
A new subway line running south of the Han River will start operations later this month. Trains will start services on the first 25.5-kilometer section of Subway line 9, from Gimpo Airport to Sinnonhyeon in southeastern Seoul ― it will later be extended to Bangi, in the east of the capital.
The line will reduce the commuting time connecting western Seoul and southern Seoul, as an express train that stops at nine stops will be operated, taking only 30 minutes to get to Gangnam from the airport.
The basic fare will be 900 won, the same as existing subway lines. Operated by a private company, Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation, the company had considered higher fares but initially decided to keep it the same as other lines.
The new trains have been installed with wider seats and low hand straps for children and have had doors removed between carriages for easier movement for the disabled. All stations are equipped with powder rooms and diaper changing stations as well as children's toilets.
``The new subway line 9 considered all passengers' convenience from seats and hand straps to rest rooms in detail,'' said Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.
Currently, the new line is undergoing trials and plans to open in late May.
meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr
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