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, KTX-Eum will be fully deployed on the Jungang Line (Cheongnyangni to Bujeon) and the Donghae Line (Gangneung to Bujeon), allowing travel within 3 hours in the central and east coast regions.
The Jungang Line is a route that traverses the inland of the Korean Peninsula from Seoul to Busan. Utilizing the speed increase effect from the signal system improvement between Andong and Yeongcheon, additional trains and new stops will be promoted. The number of operations on the Cheongnyangni to Bujeon route will be tripled from 6 to 18 times a day, and the Cheongnyangni to Andong route will also be increased from 18 to 20 times, greatly improving passenger convenience.
The travel time on the Cheongnyangni to Bujeon route will be shortened from the previous 3 hours and 56 minutes to 3 hours and 38 minutes based on the shortest time of KTX-Eum. Additionally, for the convenience of local residents and visitors, some trains will stop at stations such as Deokso, North Ulsan, Namchang, Gijang, Shin Haeundae, and Centum, which were not previously served by the Jungang Line KTX-Eum. The frequency of stops will be adjusted based on future passenger demand at each station.
In January this year, the Donghae Line section from Bujeon (Busan) to Gangneung, currently operated by ITX-Ma-eum, will also see six additional KTX-Eum trains. This will reduce the average travel time on the Bujeon to Gangneung route to 3 hours and 54 minutes, 1 hour and 10 minutes shorter than the current ITX-Ma-eum travel time. The new KTX-Eum deployment is expected to connect Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gangwon regions into a daily living zone, boosting tourism demand and regional development.