KTX expands Tuesday following SRT absorption

An integrated high-speed railway service integrating KTX and SRT trains will officially launch Tuesday, marking the first time the combined services will be available through a single dedicated platform.

SRT trains, previously operated by SR, will join KTX services operated by KORAIL under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The integration of SR into KORAIL is intended to result in a major increase in seating capacity for passengers. The government said 15,000 additional seats will be available on weekdays and 17,000 on weekends. It also said the number of seats on routes departing from Suseo Station in southern Seoul will increase by 30 percent.

Fares will be reduced by an average of 10 percent to match SRT pricing structures. Trips departing from Suseo Station will also now be eligible for mileage deals, usually equivalent to 5 percent of each ticket purchase.

All trains will be available for booking through KORAIL+, the online platform launched by KORAIL in early August.

The expanded KORAIL service will introduce 31 additional new trains next year, each with 500 seats — 90 more than the KTX-Sancheon, one of KORAIL's older KTX models. Rail service between Pyeongtaek Station in Gyeonggi Province and Osong Station in North Chungcheong Province will double, resolving a chronic bottleneck.

The repainting of SRT trains to convert them into KTX trains will begin next year and continue through 2032, according to a KORAIL official. He added that at least six trains will be repainted each year.

The launch of the new KTX follows the completion of all legal and administrative procedures recognizing the merger of the two companies. The Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Fair Trade Commission jointly led the process, establishing frameworks for workforce restructuring and ensuring the merger's legitimacy under competition rules.

KORAIL will absorb SR’s operations while retaining the KTX brand, rather than introducing a new one, maintaining public access to the brand that has steadily gained in popularity since its launch in 2004. KTX currently serves 77 stations across eight routes nationwide and carried a record 92 million passengers last year.

The government said KORAIL has launched a new office bureau dedicated to completing the two companies' integration at all levels within the next three years. That includes providing the same employment and welfare conditions unionized SR employees previously enjoyed. Following the government's initial announcement of a road map for integration last December, there were concerns some SR employees did not want to work for KORAIL because of potential changes in their working conditions, as well as over how the government was going to deal with the negative sentiment.

According to officials, the integration will reduce costs and increase sales, thereby improving the company's debt-ridden financial condition. With its fares frozen for the past 14 years, KORAIL now is over 21 trillion won ($15 billion) in debt.

Transport Minister Kim Yun-duk said the government will "prioritize safety above all else, inspect the field and ensure that the public can use high-speed rail more conveniently while enjoying better railway services.”

KORAIL President Kim Tae-seung also said that the company will keep railway safety as a top priority.

SR CEO Jeong Wang-guk said, “The company has steadily built its capabilities through operating the Suseo high-speed railway. I hope this experience and expertise will serve as valuable assets to KORAIL, ultimately benefiting the public through safer and more convenient railway services.”