Image: National Railway Authority ()
After the opening of the Donghae Line from Busan to Ulsan, the number of passengers increased by 44%.
The congestion level in the train is also at a maximum of 60 to 90%, so it is analyzed that it is necessary to shorten the interval between trains and operate more trains.
Ulsan City analyzed the status of passengers on the Donghae Line for about a month, from December 28, 2021 to January 31, 2022, in order to understand the change in transportation means following the opening of the second phase of the Donghae Line from Ilgwang to Taehwagang) on December 28, last year.
According to the analysis result, after the opening of all sections of the Donghae Line, the total number of passengers per day increased from 59,423 to 85,400, an increase of 25,977 or 44%.
The contribution to the increase in the number of passengers on the Donghae Line was analyzed to be 50.1% in Ulsan and 49.9% in Busan.
The average daily number of passengers by station was 9,448 at BEXCO Station, followed by 8,989 at Gyodae Station, 8,935 at Bujeon Station, and 8,663 at Taehwagang Station.
The average daily number of passengers per day at each station in the Donghae Line Phase 2 (Ilgwang-Taehwagang Station) is 8,663 at Taehwagang Station, 2,091 at Namchang Station, 816 at Deokha Station, 732 at Seosaeng Station, 369 at Mangyang Station, and 331 at Gaeunpo Station.
Looking at the change in the average daily number of users for one month based on Taehwagang Station, 15,105 in the first week of opening and 7,441 in the last week, an average of 10,295 people.
Although the number of users is gradually decreasing, the average daily number of users is still high.
Despite the fact that the number of trains was reduced by 3-10 times on weekends compared to weekdays, the average daily number of weekend users was higher than on weekdays.
As for the number of users by time period, the number of users during the daytime (15:00 to 16:00) on weekdays was the most during commuting time, which is analyzed because the number of tourists using the train has increased.
Congestion inside the train is not high at 4-40% during rush hour, but at other times, the 30-minute long train time is around 60-90%, so the number of citizens complaining about inconvenience is increasing.
If you look at the impact of other means of transportation due to the operation of the metropolitan train, 15.7% of the Gyeongbu High-Speed Line Ulsan Station KTX bound for Busan, 55% of the Taehwagang Station general railway direction Bujeon, 39% of the intercity bus Ulsan-Haeundae, and 27% of the Ulsan-Busan area.
Ulsan City plans to analyze the trend of changes in passengers on the Donghae Line every month and use it to develop policies tailored to the characteristics of users, such as changes in transportation means and improvement of user convenience.
