The KTX-Eum train, with a maximum speed of 260 km/h, will newly operate on the Donghae Line between Gangneung and Busan, and new stops such as Shin Haeundae will be added to the existing Seoul (Cheongnyangni) to Busan route. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 15th that from the 30th, the KTX-Eum will be fully deployed on the Jungang Line (Cheongnyangni to Bujeon) and the Donghae Line (Gangneung to Bujeon), allowing travel within the central and east coast regions in about 3 hours.
The Jungang Line runs through the inland of the Korean Peninsula from Seoul to Busan, and this time, by utilizing the speed increase effect from the signal system improvement between Andong and Yeongcheon, additional trains will be deployed and new stops will be expanded. The number of operations on the Cheongnyangni to Bujeon section will be increased threefold from 6 to 18 times a day, and the Cheongnyangni to Andong section will also be increased from 18 to 20 times, greatly improving passenger convenience.
The travel time on the Cheongnyangni to Bujeon section will also be shortened from the previous 3 hours and 56 minutes to 3 hours and 38 minutes based on the shortest time of the KTX-Eum. For the convenience of local residents and visitors, some trains will stop at stations such as Deokso, Buk-Ulsan, Namchang, Gijang, Shin Haeundae, and Centum, which the Jungang Line KTX-Eum did not previously stop at, and the number of stops will be adjusted according to demand in the future.
In January this year, the Donghae Line section from Bujeon (Busan) to Gangneung, where the ITX-Ma-eum is currently operating, will also see six additional KTX-Eum trains newly deployed. As a result, the average travel time on the Bujeon to Gangneung section will be shortened by 1 hour and 10 minutes from the previous 5 hours and 4 minutes to 3 hours and 54 minutes. With this deployment of the KTX-Eum, it is expected that the Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gangwon regions will be connected within a daily living area, further boosting tourism demand and regional development.