Seoul expands express transit to relieve commuter rush

Seoul Metro Line 9 will run more express trains during the morning rush from Nov. 16 to ease severe overcrowding in Seoul. The city will change the express-to-all-stop ratio, add eight morning trips and move peak-hour schedules earlier. Officials project westbound morning express-train congestion to fall from 192.5 percent to 172.1 percent. Four express bus routes will also connect outer districts with central Seoul, with travel times expected to drop by roughly 10 percent.

Morning express service will begin at 5:40 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m., while evening rush-hour operations will run from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

From 5:40 a.m. to 7 a.m., eastbound Line 9 service will operate two express trains for every all-stop train instead of the current one-to-one schedule.

The scheduling changes are expected to match the effect of adding four new six-car trains while saving approximately 66 billion won ($49.1 million).

The four express bus routes will serve outer neighborhoods in Dobong, Gangdong, Sangam and Gangseo, with each route making three early-morning trips before reverting to local service.

The express buses will make 45.8 percent fewer stops than standard routes and use passing lanes in dedicated median bus lanes to bypass bottlenecked traffic.

Published Oct 14, 2026 5:24 pm KST

New express trains, bus routes aim to tackle extreme overcrowding on packed subway Line 9

Seoul citizens queue at Gimpo International Airport Station on the notoriously crowded Line 9. Yonhap

Seoul Metro Line 9 will run more express trains during the morning rush and pilot four express bus routes connecting outlying districts with the city center starting Nov. 16, city officials said Wednesday.

Line 9, which cuts through key commercial and financial districts, remains one of Seoul’s most notoriously overcrowded transit corridors. During peak morning hours, its express trains routinely carry up to 192.5 percent of their rated passenger capacity. Korea measures subway congestion relative to a train’s total design threshold, including standing commuters, meaning 100 percent represents a fully loaded train.

To alleviate the problem, the city will alter the operational ratio of express to all-stop trains based on commuter demand for the first time since the line opened. From 5:40 a.m. to 7 a.m., eastbound service will run two express trains for every all-stop train, replacing the current one-to-one alternating schedule.

Additionally, the municipal government is moving peak hour schedules earlier. Morning express service will begin at 5:40 am instead of 6:30 am, while evening rush hour operations will shift 30 minutes earlier, running from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The operational overhaul will add eight morning trips and tighten intervals between express departures. Officials project peak congestion on westbound morning express trains to drop 20.4 percentage points to 172.1 percent. The city noted that these scheduling adjustments match the impact of deploying four new six-car trains — saving approximately 66 billion won ($49.1 million) and circumventing years of train procurement timelines.

Concurrently, four express bus routes will launch from outer residential neighborhoods in Dobong, Gangdong, Sangam, and Gangseo to central commercial hubs such as Seoul City Hall and Yeongdeungpo. By utilizing passing lanes built into dedicated median bus lanes, these buses will skip intermediate stops and bypass bottlenecked traffic.

With 45.8 percent fewer stops than standard routes, the express buses are expected to reduce morning travel times by roughly 10 percent. Each route will operate three early morning trips before reverting to local service.

“The core of this measure is to closely analyze citizen travel patterns and concentrate transportation services precisely during peak commuting hours,” said Yeo Jang-kwon, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Transportation Bureau. “By boosting the operational efficiency of existing transit infrastructure, we will continue innovating Seoul’s public transportation so that residents can feel tangible reductions in congestion and travel times.”

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

为缓解首尔地铁9号线严重的拥挤状况，自11月16日起，该线路将在早高峰时段增加快车班次。首尔市政府将调整快车与普通列车的比例，增加8趟早高峰班次，并将高峰时段的列车时刻表提前。官方预计，早高峰西行方向快车的拥堵率将从192.5%降至172.1%。此外，还将开通四条快速巴士线路连接首尔郊区与市中心，预计行程时间将缩短约10%。

早高峰快车服务将从早上6:30提前至5:40开始，而晚高峰运营时间为下午4:00至6:30。

从早上 5:40 到 7:00，9 号线东行方向将实行两列快车配一列站站停的列车，而不是目前的一列一列的配车。

预计此次时刻表调整将达到增加四列六节车厢新列车的效果，同时节省约 660 亿韩元（4910 万美元）。

这四条快速公交线路将服务于道峰、江东、上岩和江西的郊区，每条线路在清晨会运行三趟，之后恢复为本地服务。

快速公交车停靠站数将比标准路线减少 45.8%，并且会利用专用中央公交车道的超车道绕过交通瓶颈。

发布于2026年10月14日下午5:24（韩国标准时间）

新的快车和公交线路旨在解决地铁9号线极度拥挤的问题。

首尔市民在金浦国际机场站排队等候拥挤不堪的地铁9号线。（韩联社）

首尔市政府官员周三表示，首尔地铁9号线将在早高峰时段增加快车班次，并将从11月16日起试行四条连接郊区与市中心的快速巴士线路。

贯穿首尔主要商业和金融区的9号线，仍然是首尔最拥挤的交通线路之一。在早高峰时段，其高速列车的载客量通常高达额定载客量的192.5%。韩国衡量地铁拥堵程度的标准是列车总载客量（包括站立乘客），这意味着100%代表列车满载。

为缓解客流压力，该市将根据通勤需求，自线路开通以来首次调整快车与普通列车的运行比例。从早上5:40至7:00，东行方向将实行快车与普通列车交替运行的模式，即每两趟快车配一趟普通列车，取代目前快车与普通列车交替运行的模式。

此外，市政府将高峰时段的运营时间提前。早高峰快线列车将从早上 6:30 开始，改为早上 5:40；晚高峰运营时间也将提前 30 分钟，改为下午 4:00 至 6:30。

此次运营调整将增加八趟早班列车，并缩短特快列车的发车间隔。官方预计，早高峰西行特快列车的拥堵率将下降20.4个百分点，至172.1%。市政府指出，这些时刻表调整与投入使用四列新的六节车厢列车的效果相当——可节省约660亿韩元（约合4910万美元），并缩短长达数年的列车采购周期。

与此同时，四条快速公交线路将从道峰、江东、上岩和江西等郊区住宅区开通，直达首尔市政府和永登浦等中心商业区。这些公交车将利用专用公交车道上的超车道，跳过中途停靠站，绕过交通瓶颈路段。

与标准线路相比，快速公交的停靠站减少了45.8%，预计可将早高峰出行时间缩短约10%。每条线路将在清晨运营三趟，之后恢复为普通线路。

首尔市交通局局长吕章权表示：“这项措施的核心在于深入分析市民出行模式，并在通勤高峰时段精准集中交通服务。通过提升现有交通基础设施的运营效率，我们将继续创新首尔的公共交通系统，让市民切实感受到交通拥堵和出行时间的减少。”

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。