Commuters on the morning of April 1 ride the newly opened GTX-A express subway line on the first weekday since the opening of the line's Suseo-Dongtan section. (Yonhap News)

By Lee Kyoung Mi

The section of the Great Train eXpress Line A (GTX-A) subway line connecting Dongtan and Suseo stations launched on March 30 has slashed the distance covered by a bus from one hour during rush hour to just 20 minutes.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on March 31 said 18,949 passengers used the GTX-A on its opening day, surpassing the initial weekend average forecast of 16,788. The average daily ridership on weekdays is projected at 21,522.

The 34.9-km Suseo-Dongtan section stops at three of the four planned stations: Suseo, Seongnam and Dongtan. The opening of the last station Guseong, which is between Seongnam and Dongtan, was delayed to late June due to construction delays stemming from safety and procedural issues.

The first train departs Dongtan Station at 5:30 a.m. and the last arrives at each station around 1 a.m. During morning rush hour (6:30 a.m.-9 a.m.), trains will run at an average interval of 17 minutes from Dongtan to Suseo.

From Suseo to Dongtan stations takes some 20 minutes including stops, with six- to seven-minute intervals.

The basic fare for the section is KRW 3,200, with KRW 250 charged for every 5 km traveled. The one-way fare is KRW 4,450 but a 10% discount on weekends lowers the sum to KRW 4,100.

Discounts on transfers to other forms of public transportation like buses and other subway lines are also available in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi-do Province. From next month, holders of the forthcoming K-Pass, a discount service that offers a refund on a percentage of the amount spent for a user who makes at least 15 trips per month, can receive a rebate after using the GTX.

km137426@korea.kr