Since Korea stepped into the era of high-speed rail service on April 1, 2004, the country’s new KTX high-speed trains have now serviced more than ten million passengers. From April 1 to August 20, 2004 when Korea Rail’s 10 millionth passenger boarded the system, 17,995 trains have traveled 305,000 miles, the equivalent of circling the globe 142 times. Future plans for the KTX service include offering high-speed cargo delivery service, as well as an expansion of passenger traffic into Southwestern Korea (along the existing Jeolla Line) by 2010.

Korea Rail (Korail), which is the governing body of the new KTX system, introduced high-speed travel in Korea on April 1, 2004. The new train service can travel between Seoul and Busan in 2 hours and 4 minutes, effectively cutting cross-country travel time in half. The new trains travel at a maximum speed of 185 miles per hour, enabling travelers to reach anywhere in the country in under three hours. Trains between Seoul and Busan run every half hour during peak hours, and the fare between the cities is 45,500 won (~USD $40), while fares between Seoul and Mokpo are just 43,500 won (~USD $38).

The KTX was built using French TGV technology, and each train takes just six minutes and eight seconds to accelerate to its top speed of 185 miles per hour. The KTX trains consist of 4 motorized cars and 16 passenger trains, with each passenger car accommodating up to 935 passengers. For more information about the KTX system, contact the Korea National Tourism Organization at 800/868-7567 or visit the Korail website at www.korail.go.kr.