Sleepless Travels Reloaded

Flash subway map

Anguk - Subway signs

Train arrival

Subway interior

T-money

The Korean subway system is really quite complicated. Well to be exact, the routes are very complicated. Just look at the route map, the lines snake everywhere! It is not uncommon to have to change lines 3+ times to get to your destination. It makes it a bit impossible to doze off on the Seoul subway. Well, unless you want to miss your stop I guess. One has to be reeeeaally alert on the subway. Well, at least the subway goes pretty much *everywhere*.

Sometimes the station layout may seem a bit complicated too; even Mokeun got a bit confused at one stage :> (remember that time we accidentally exited the station and had to pay twice to get back in? XD)

YeonJung mentioned one time that one of the reasons why the routes were so complicated is because certain powerful people wanted the subway lines to come close to their properties, even at the expense of having a kinked route, so that the value of the properties would increase. Tsk! Power certainly corrupts.

The Seoul Metropolitan Subway is one of the most heavily used subway systems in the world, with over 8 million trips daily on the system’s nine lines. The system serves Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, with a connection to the Incheon subway system. Current total length of the subway system is about 287 km (not including Korea National Rail lines).

The metropolitan subway system began operation in 1974, with more lines added in the late 1970s and 1980s. More lines are still being added and extended today.

A station typically has a few platforms on different levels. But unlike Hong Kong’s MTR, THERE ARE NO ESCALATORS. Walking up 2 flights of stairs when you’re dead tired carrying luggage is no joke. It can also take up to 10 minutes to walk to a different platform, particularly when you’re changing lines at a station that services more than 2 lines.

I guess the reason why there are no escalators is because these stations were built so long ago. HK’s MTR system definitely looks newer and shinier. Hmm, perhaps the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation should think about a bit of renovation. The stations, though clean, do look a bit dated, very 80’s.

Ticket prices start at 900 won for a trip up to 12 km, with 100 won added for each 6 km after that. People may use a debit card called T-Money (similar to Hong Kong’s Octopus or Singapore’s EzyLink) to pay for fares. I love these tap debit cards! I’ve blogged about them before (scroll down to last paragraph in that post for relevant commentary).

As alot of credit cards in Korea also have the same chip used in T-money, many Koreans simply used their credit cards instead. Ahhh so useful~~

I heard that Melbourne was actually going to have these cards too! It’s going to be rolled out in 2007 though, as they have to wait for the present ticketing contract to expire *_*. Oh well, by the time I move there after I graduate, it should be in place.

I look forward to going to “chat zhai”* in Melbourne to buy Calbee Okonomiyaki-flavoured potato chips, finding I don’t have enough change, and using my new Victorian Smartcard to pay instead. (whoah, mega segue there!)

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References
Seoul Metropolitan Subway [wiki]

* 七仔, Hongkie slang for 7-eleven, lit. “seven kid”. Incidentally, did you know 40% of today’s 7-eleven stores are in Japan, and that a Japanese-based company bought a majority interest in the Texas-based company in 1991? Makes sense, really.