In June, we posted about the suspension of KTX services to and from Incheon International Airport. Many of you will have already heard that as of September 1st the service has been scraped completely.
But what does this mean exactly? After seeing a bit of misinformation and confusion about the news online, we’ve decided to try and makes things a bit clearer.
Which services have stopped?
In 2014, Korail began operating intercity KTX trains to and from Incheon Airport and Geomam Station — both stations on the on the AREX airport line. The trains would stop at Seoul Station and then eventually share the same line as the AREX on its trip to Incheon.
It is these services from other cities directly to the airport that will no longer operate. Trains will terminate at either Seoul or Haengsin (another station north of Seoul).
So the AREX is still operating?
Most definitely. Both the regular and express AREX services are running normally. With an average of 182,343 passengers (2017) using the line daily and 32,499 of those getting on or off at Incheon Airport, the line has become a major transit connection for Seoul and Incheon commuters.
In fact, now that the AREX no longer has to share tracks with the KTX, there is the potential to make services even more frequent.
Why were the KTX services canceled?
As mentioned in our previous post, the main reason was that there just weren’t enough people using them.
Korail initially halted the services in February after the 2018 Winter Olympics for maintenance reasons. In June, Korail asked the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport if they could scrap it completely, citing low ridership.
According to Korail, an average of 3433 passengers used KTXs to and from the airport (and Geomam) every day — accounting for just 21% of all passengers. MOLIT announced on July 30 that the request had been approved, and the line would no longer operate from September 1.
While a KTX straight to the airport from another city like Gwangju or Busan certainly sounds convenient, there are a few reasons why the services didn’t take off.
Very few services
Due to sharing tracks with the AREX and limited capacity, there were only a small number of KTX trains that traveled to and from the airport every day.
By the time the line closed there were less services than when it had originally opened. Busan “boasted” 5 trains a day, while the Honam Line had just two. A single train also operated from Daejeon, Pohang, Jinju and Yeosu Expo. This meant that if your flight time didn’t match up with the KTX time, you were out of luck.
It wasn’t any faster
When most people think of the KTX, they think of a high-speed train flying by at 300 km/h. However, because the connection from Seoul Station to Incheon Aiport uses conventional rail, trains could only travel at up to 170km/h.
Even though this is still a lot faster than the AREX trains which travel at up to 75 km/h, the KTX services from Seoul to Incheon still arrived slightly later. This is because trains had to stop Geomam, and take longer when stopped at stations than metro trains.
Here’s a quick comparison of travel times, cost, and service frequency.
Seoul Station – ICN Terminal 2 by KTX
- 56 mins (approx)
- 13,100 won
- 11 services per day
Seoul Station – ICN Terminal 2 by AREX (Airport Railroad)
- 51 mins (express train)
- 9000 won (7500 won with group discount)
- 26 services per day (every 40 minutes)
Note that the all-stop AREX service takes around 66 minutes, and is cheaper and more frequent than the express service.
Gwangmyeong Station – ICN Terminal 2 by Shuttle Bus
- 1 hr 10 mins
- 12,000 won
- 40 services per day (every 20-30 mins)
While the bus time may seem longer, passengers don’t have to travel into Seoul and are likely to have reduced check in times. More info on this below.
Why are people getting the bus from Gwangmyeong Station instead?
Gwangmyeong Station City-Airport Terminal opened in January this year and lets you check in for your flight at the station. Passengers can enjoy less stress as they don’t have to fight the crowds at the main Incheon terminal and can instead go straight to security and wait for their flight.
Many KTX trains stop at Gwangmyeong Station which makes it easier to arrange your train travel from another city to match your flight time. The station is becoming an important hub for those living in the south west of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.
Not everything is going swimmingly though. As of September 8, two shuttle buses from Incheon’s Bupyeong and Woninjae stations to Gwangmyeong were scrapped due to abysmal ridership.
Gwangmyeong isn’t the only city-air terminal, with one at COEX having been in operation since the 90s, and another one at Seoul Station linked to the AREX that opened in 2010.
Airport “Limousine” Buses
Many people still prefer to use Airport Limousine Buses when traveling abroad simply because they are cheaper, often stop close to many residential areas (especially in Seoul), and go straight to the airport. This includes cities outside of Seoul, though buses that travel farther may only make one or two stops. It would be great to see electric airport buses in the future.
Safety and disruptions also a concern
Low demand wasn’t the only reason behind Korail getting rid of the services. One other major reason was concern over safety and potential disruption with two very different services operating alongside one another.
This concern isn’t unfounded, as airport KTX trains broke down on several occasions, causing major delays to AREX services while tracks were blocked. As long as the two services continued to share the same line through to Incheon, there was always the risk of unnecessary disruptions.
Do you think we’ll see Incheon Airport KTXs again in the future?
There haven’t been any reports of future plans, and I personally don’t think we’ll see KTXs from Incheon Airport in the near future. If there is a major international event that requires moving people from the airport to other cities by KTX, we could possibly see some special one-off services.
Other than that, a future airport KTX service would need dedicated tracks for better speed and to remove capacity issues, especially since AREX ridership will likely continue to grow. More frequent services would also be an important factor in gaining favor with passengers.
Incheon is now the only major regional city which doesn’t have easy access to KTX trains, excluding Jeju which is an island, and Sejong, which has Cheongju-Osong Station 15-20 minutes away.
A few years back we wrote about KTXs coming to Incheon in the future, though these won’t leave from the airport, but from Songdo. This is also a long way off, with the mayor of the city recently saying that it’s likely the project won’t be completed until 2024.
Thanks for the update! Much appreciated. One thing in your article is that you stated the price for the express train from Seoul Station to ICN airport terminal 2 as W7500. I’ve paid W8500 every time from Seoul Station (to terminal 1). Am I missing a discount? There’s also a sign at the ticket window at ICN terminal 1 staffed by a person that there’s a W500 discount (from 9000 to 8500) when you get a ticket from the machine rather than the person at the window. I’d like to get the 7500 price!
Hi James. Thanks for your comment. Turns out the data they provided was their cheapest possible price. The 7,500 won ticket is a discount you can get with a group of more than 3. I’ve also added the standard price. Cheers!
Cheers Andy! That’s really helpful. I’ll remember that when friends and family come to visit.
It seems such a shame that Incheon Grand Bridge wasn’t built with railways in mind. Having a train to access Songdo, the rest of Incheon, and thereby the rest of the country would’ve been great, and would’ve made Songdo a much more desirable place for people looking to setup closer to the airport but still outside of Seoul.
There are long term plans in place for an underground rail connection from the airport to Incheon Station, and eventually extending to Gwangmyeong Station. I don’t know whether KTXs will operate on this new line or not. It’s still very far off though, with no confirmed design or concrete date.
On a related subject, has there been any decision on track sharing to bring line nine to the airport?
Great question Philip and surprised somebody still remembers this! This really deserves its own post which I’m holding off on until there is some more definitive information. To sum it up, yes this plan is still on the table and last year MOLIT indicate that these services would start from 2020. Since this plan has been so up in the air the past 10 years, I’ll write something more detailed once there is a more concrete announcement.
I have a question. I have a 15 hour layover in korea. But since I’m taking Korean air, I’ll be at Terminal 2. I need to go to Terminal 2 to pick up a simcard. Am I allowed to get off at Terminal 1 via arex train? Or its not allowed? How about shuttle bus to terminal 2 I have to go through security again?
Of course, you can get out at Terminal 1 with the AREX. There will be also free shuttle buses between the two terminals. In any case, if you leave the transfer area, you will have to go through security to reenter the area.
Hi Andy
Thank you for such great information. I’m hoping you can now help me further as I seem to be going around in circles trying to get answers.
I’ve been in Korea since 4 Jan and depart on 7 Feb 2019.
I’ve just arrived in Daejeon (KTX) and will move on to Busan (KTX) in a couple of weeks. I’ve been searching for my best option to return to Seoul or Incheon for my flight departure at 10am on 7 Feb (would need to be at airport on or around 07.30am).
I understand there is a bus direct from Busan to Incheon (but the only site I can find is in Korean and translation is limited so not very helpful).
Am I best just to get a KTX back to Seoul and overnight and go to the airport in the morning? (Although I am mindful of the traffic so it may need to be earlier – like 6am??)
If I decide to stay overnight at an Incheon airport hotel offering a free shuttle I’m assuming I would have to get a train from Seoul Station (after getting off KTX) to Incheon airport – would I then get the free shuttle to the hotel from Term 1 – as I’m also assuming this is only way around getting to hotel other than a taxi/car from Seoul?
I know there is a direct bus from Daejeon to Incheon airport as friends have caught it, but the bus station is a good taxi ride from Daejeon Station. So seems a bit pointless.
Any ideas advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you kindly.
Nannette