Government aims to merge open-access operator with Korail by the end of next year.
Photo Credit: Hajoon0102/Wikimedia Commons
KOREA’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Molit) has unveiled its roadmap for merging high-speed open-access operator Supreme Rail (SR) with its competitor, national operator Korail, by the end of 2026.
Supreme Rail, owned by Molit and Korail, began operating Super Rapid Train (SRT) high-speed services in December 2016, and combining SRT and Korail’s KTX services has been under consideration for several years. This has been driven by the need to improve operational efficiency and increase capacity, as SRT services have strugg…
Government aims to merge open-access operator with Korail by the end of next year.
Photo Credit: Hajoon0102/Wikimedia Commons
KOREA’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Molit) has unveiled its roadmap for merging high-speed open-access operator Supreme Rail (SR) with its competitor, national operator Korail, by the end of 2026.
Supreme Rail, owned by Molit and Korail, began operating Super Rapid Train (SRT) high-speed services in December 2016, and combining SRT and Korail’s KTX services has been under consideration for several years. This has been driven by the need to improve operational efficiency and increase capacity, as SRT services have struggled to meet demand on its two routes from Suseo station in southern Seoul, running to Busan and Mokpo.
Korail forecasts that a complete operational merger would boost national high-speed capacity by 16,000 seats a day, a 6% increase on the existing combined capacity of 255,000 seats a day.
Having been shelved by Molit in December 2022, plans to combine SR and Korail have gathered momentum once again under the administration of Lee Jae Myung. He took up office as the president of Korea on June 4 after making the merger one of his key pledges in his successful election campaign.
Under Molit’s merger plan, KTX and SRT operations will be gradually combined, starting in March 2026 when some KTX services will start operating from Suseo. By June, combined operations will begin on a trial basis, with KTX and SRT services operating from both Seoul and Suseo.
Ticketing systems will also be partially combined. Searches in either the Korail or SRT apps will show trains departing from all the high-speed stations serving the Korean capital - Seoul, Yongsan and Suseo - regardless of operator.
By the end of 2026, a single integrated app will be launched for passengers to purchase tickets for both KTX and SRT services. Discounts will be introduced for passengers changing from SRT to other Korail services, such as ITX-Maum. Cancellation fees will be waived when changing between KTX and SRT trains.
To implement the merger, a new consultative body will be formed from staff, management and government to manage legal process, including approval of the safety management system. Molit says special attention will be paid to ensuring that SR employees are not placed at a disadvantage.
“After gathering input from stakeholders and experts, the government has decided to move towards integrating the dual high-speed rail systems,” says minister of land, infrastructure and transport, Kim Yun-duk.
“The integration of KTX and SRT will not be a simple absorption-type merger, but a way to enhance the competitiveness of Korea’s railway industry.”