Saemaeul trains to be phased out by 2015

By Lee Hyo-sik

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The government plans to replace the slow Saemaul service with KTX bullet trains by 2015 to provide a faster and more convenient means of transportation.

The operational period of all Saemaul trains currently in use will expire by the end of 2015, and will not be extended, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Tuesday.

First put into operation in 1969, Saemaul was the main class of train transporting both passengers and cargo until a high-speed service was introduced in April 2004.

"By 2015, all Saemaul trains will be off the tracks in phases. We will put more high-speed trains into operation to take their place", said Kim Han-young, director general of the ministry's comprehensive transport policy division.

"It costs more to operate Saemaul trains than the KTX. To provide passengers with more rapid and convenient services, we will replace all conventional trains with KTX services step by step", he added.

Kim said a revised version of Mugunghwa trains, dubbed "Duri", will replace some of the Saemaul trains to serve passengers residing in rural, mostly mountainous areas.

"For those who reside in the countryside and want to use slow trains for lower fares, we will operate an upgraded version of the Mugunghwa service. But train services will be less frequent than they are now", he said.

Korail, the state-run railroad operator, said it is currently upgrading the performance of Mugunghwa trains to replace Saemaul services.

"We will phase out Saemaul trains be over the next few years. Instead, we will put more KTX trains into operation to draw more people to take the train when traveling from one city to another", a Korail spokesman said.