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| Seoul city will extend subway and some intercity bus operations to 2 a.m. for Chuseok. gettyimagesbank |
By Kim Hyun-bin
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will extend operation hours of subways and buses during the Chuseok holiday to accommodate passengers returning from their hometowns.
Korea will celebrate the four-day weekend from Thursday to Sunday and hundreds of thousands of Seoul residents are expected to visit their hometowns.
According to Seoul City, subway trains will run for an extra hour past their usual time of 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday, while buses on 129 routes passing through the five major train stations ― Seoul, Yongsan, Yeongdeungpo, Cheongnyangni and Suseo ― and four major bus terminals will be extended to 2 a.m. during the two days.
About 3,100 late night taxis will also continue normal operations during the holidays.
Between Tuesday and Sunday, Seoul buses and some intercity buses will increase operations to carry an estimated 130,000 passengers a day, an increase of 40,000.
Gyeongbu Expressway's designated bus lane hours will also be extended from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. starting Sept. 11 through Sept. 15.
According to traffic laws, a vehicle that can accommodate more than nine people can use the designated bus lane. Drivers and/or owners of other vehicles face fines.
"We will provide a 24-hour transport service to make it easier for Seoul residents traveling from their hometowns during the Chuseok holiday," a Seoul city official said.
More trains for subway line 9
The Seoul city government plans to operate more trains on Subway Line 9 by 2022 to reduce extreme overcrowding during rush hours.
Six six-car trains will be added at an expected cost of 45 billion won, according to the city.
Line 9, which connects northwestern to southeastern Seoul, is infamous as the most crowded line in the capital, with average user rate exceeding 170 percent during rush hours.
The six additional trains are expected to lower the user rate to 154 percent during rush hour.
