KTX seats can’t keep up with surging Busan–Seoul demand

(Photo courtesy of Haps Magazine Korea)

As flights between Busan and Seoul decrease, the KTX line is now overwhelmed by passengers.

Demand for rail travel has grown sharply, but seat capacity has barely increased, leading to a constant booking shortage.

KORAIL data shows 8.7 million passengers used Busan Station via the Gyeongbu Line in the first half of the year, with total ridership expected to reach 17.5 million, up 4.7 million from 2022.

Despite this surge, KTX service has risen by only 5 extra weekday trips and 11 weekend trips compared to two years ago, adding fewer than 11,000 weekend seats.

With such limited expansion, weekend trains are routinely sold out, forcing travelers to hunt for cancellations.

The problem worsened after two KTX trainsets were removed for maintenance in February, eliminating nearly 2,000 seats.

The government plans to ease pressure by integrating KTX and SRT operations in March, claiming it could add 16,000 seats daily. However, critics say this mostly reallocates trains between routes rather than increasing total capacity.

With demand rising, many argue real expansion of both rail and air service is needed to keep the Busan–Seoul corridor moving.

Fleet Chinhae