Is Seoul subway best in the world? Yes and no

Crowds form at the platform of Sindorim Station, considered one of the busiest subway stations in Seoul, in this file photo.
/ Korea Times

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia

The Seoul Metropolitan Subway prides itself on being one of the best transit systems in the world. There is little doubt that the Seoul subway is a convenient way of traveling around the city, but there is also no shortage of complaints about the overcrowding, dirty conditions, erratic service and poor ventilation.

The Seoul subway system transported 2.048 billion passengers in 2009 over its nine lines, on hundreds of trains.

Since there are separate entities in charge of operations, the physical environment of the subway stations and trains vary significantly. The government-run Seoul Metro runs subway lines 1 to 4, while Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit (SMRT) manages lines 5 to 8. The newest Line 9 is run by the private enterprise Seoul Metro Line 9 Corp.

Lines 1 to 4 carry a daily average of 3.96 million people, while Lines 5 to 8 serve some 2.7 million passengers each day. With figures like these, it’s no wonder that commuters are crammed like sardines especially during the morning and evening rush hours.

During the height of the summer heat wave, trains and subway stations felt more like saunas because the air-conditioning system cannot sufficiently handle the soaring temperatures and crowds. Conversely, in winter, the trains are extremely stuffy, with the heating turned up far too high.

Seoul Metro vs. SMRT

Seoul Metro operates the oldest subway lines, and the wear and tear over the years definitely shows in its 117 subway stations and 199 trains.

There have been recent remodeling efforts, but there is no disguising some cramped subway stations. Many of them were obviously constructed with no thought to expansion, causing severe overcrowding on platforms at Sindorim, City Hall, Jongno 3-ga, Gangnam, Myeongdong, Yeongeungpo, Guro and Seoul stations.

The trains are also slower, since they run on a normal speed line. The oldest Line 1 opened in 1974, and the older, shakier and noisier trains can’t hide their age. Some stations are also poorly well-ventilated, while some are not yet air-conditioned.

In comparison, SMRT operates 148 stations, covering 152 kilometers with 200 trains. Construction of lines 5 to 8 started in 1990 and thus these subway lines are much newer.

The trains look cleaner and run much smoother. Subway stations on lines 5 to 8 are also more spacious, airier and feel less constricting than the older ones.

Long wait, long walks

Aside from overcrowding during rush hour, there are also complaints about the operational frequency of trains.

Trains on Seoul Metro Lines 1 to 4 are slower and commuters have to wait an average of 2.5 to 6 minutes for a train, although they come more often during rush hour.

SMRT, on the other hand, have newer cars but the trains’ frequency averages between 2.5 to 8 minutes. Commuters may even have to wait more than 10 minutes in between trains traversing Line 6 (Eungnam-Bonghwasan) and Line 5 (Banghwa to Sangil-dong or Macheon) on weekends.

Another complaint is how the subway ends earlier on weekends. People who watch concerts at venues in Olympic Park, southern Seoul also complain of the infrequency of trains that pass through Olympic Park Station on line 5 especially on weekend evenings. After a recent concert ended late on a Saturday evening, commuters waited for more than 30 minutes for the train to arrive at Olympic Park Station at 11:40 p.m., only to find out that it would only travel to Gunja Station since it was already nearing midnight.

Walking a long distance when transferring to another line, plus the long flights of stairs in between, are other inconveniences of using the subway. In some stations, it can take anywhere between five to 10 minutes to transfer to another line. Some of the subway exit signs are confusing, and this is aggravated by the sprawling layout of the stations.

Safety issues

Seoul’s subway claims to be safe, but there are still petty crimes committed in the underground tunnels.

For female commuters, it is very uncomfortable to be packed in a subway car, always at the risk of being groped or harassed. Sexual harassment accounts for nearly half of subway crimes. While Seoul introduced women-only cars in 1992, they were discontinued due to operational problems.

Because few security staff make the rounds of stations, it seems any victim of a crime would have difficulty in quickly getting assistance.

It is also quite common to see people trying to sell CDs and various cheap trinkets inside the train, as well as pan handlers. According to subway regulations, it is illegal to post unauthorized materials, solicit, beg, sell items or conduct religious activities on the train. But the personnel often turn a blind eye, allowing these activities to continue and disrupt the passengers.

Since the personnel at the ticket booths were replaced by ticket machines last year, it has caused problems for some passengers who need or would prefer human guidance. When one has a problem with the ticket machine or the turnstiles, there is often no one to ask for help. Sometimes, the T-money card does not work, thus the customer has no choice but to go under the turnstiles to be able to exit.

When getting on or off the subway train, the doors only remain open for about 10 to 20 seconds, depending on the discretion of the driver. Many try to rush to catch the train or suddenly realize it’s their stop and try to get off but end up being caught between the notoriously tough train doors. The doors seem to remain shut even if a person or a purse gets stuck in them.

The platform screen doors were installed to prevent accidents and suicide attempts, but there are still incidents of people or bags getting stuck and being dragged along the platform.

The "Keep Right" campaign, which aimed to change the walking direction in subway stations was started last year, but now 10 months on, it just seemd to create more confusion. Even with countless posters and signs reminding people to "keep right," it appears that most people still tend to walk on the left.

Despite Seoul Metro and SMRT’s current efforts to refurbish the bathrooms within the subway stations, it is still unfortunate that most are still dirty and not well-maintained. The floors are usually wet and sticky, while the trash bins are usually overflowing.

There needs to be more efforts and maintenance by Seoul Metro and SMRT to provide an even better service for its millions of daily passengers.

‘서울 지하철 이용객 불만 높다’

서울지하철은 세계에서 가장 우수한 환승시스템을 가진 것으로 자부하고 있다.

서울 지하철이 시 전역을 둘러보는데 아주 편리한 시스템을 갖추고 있다는데 이의를 제기 하는 사람은 거의 없다.

그러나 혼잡함, 청결, 승객에 대한 서비스, 통풍 등 에 대한 불만이 끊이지 않고 있는 것 또한 사실이다.

작년 한해동안 9개 노선의 서울 지하철은 총 20억 4천 8백만명을 수송했다.

여름 혹서기에는 부실한 에어컨시스템 때문에 객차안과 지하철역은 마치 사우나처럼 덥다.

겨울철에는 난방이 지나치게(?) 잘 되어 객차안이 숨이 막힐 지경이다.