SEOUL — South Korea's bullet train services, KTX and SRT, have reported a record number of passengers in the first quarter of this year, highlighting a resurgence in travel demand.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Korea Railroad (Korail) and SR Inc., the Korea Train eXpress (KTX) and Super Rapid Train (SRT) experienced significant increases in ridership from January to March. KTX ridership surged to 19.26 million, up from 17.91 million in the same period last year, while SRT saw its users rise to 6.43 million from 6.3 million.
The operators attribute this record-breaking performance to the release of "pent-up" travel demand following years of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside an expansion in the availability of bullet train routes. Notably, the KTX Seoul-Busan route and the SRT Suseo-Busan route were among the most popular, attracting 1.49 million and 678,000 passengers, respectively, in the first quarter.
The KTX service, inaugurated in April 2004 by Korail, and the SRT service, launched in December 2016 by SR, have become vital components of South Korea's public transportation network, offering rapid and efficient connectivity across the country. The recent surge in passengers underscores the growing preference for high-speed rail travel as the nation moves beyond the pandemic era.