Sea Train (Korean: 바다열차) was a South Korean tourist train operated by the Korail Tourism Development. The train began operations in 2007 and transports tourists along the eastern coast of South Korea.[2][3]
| Sea Train | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Service type | Regional rail |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | South Korea |
| First service | July 25, 2007 |
| Last service | December 25, 2023[1] |
| Current operator(s) | Korail Tourism Development |
| Route | |
| Termini | Gangneung station Samcheok Haebyeon station |
| Stops | 6 |
| Average journey time | 1 hour & 10 minutes |
| Line(s) used | Yeongdong Line Samcheok Line |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | First Class (2 cars) |
| Seating arrangements | Individual seats and seats for facing the window |
| Catering facilities | On-board café |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | Korail CDC |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Track owner(s) | Korail |
Overview
editThe train began running on July 25, 2007,[4][5] and travels 58 kilometers (36 miles) through Gangneung, Donghae, and Samcheok all in Gangwon-do, providing views of the Sea of Japan. These three communities, along with Korail, developed the rail trip, with Korail contributing the passenger train service and the railroad, and the communities investing money to modify ordinary passenger cars into ones with seats that faced the sea.[3][5][6]
Sometimes called the "ocean train", it was one of the industrial-era train renovations and part of Korail's Tourism Development initiative in the mid-2000s to change existing coal industry railway lines, where service had declined, into tour lines.[7][8]
The train has four cars, three of them with seats that face the windows, for a full ocean-view and the fourth car has family seats where passengers can face each other.[2] The interior walls are painted in ocean-blue colors to simulate an undersea world. Activities on the train include talks on the Gangneung and Samcheok regions, and music, including passenger requests via text message, and a marriage proposal room.[5][7]
One of the train stops is at Jeongdongjin station, which was made famous by a popular 90's Korean drama, The Hourglass.[9] Jeongdongjin itself is one of the most popular travel destinations for Koreans to view the sunrise and has several off-train local tourist activities like the rail bike which runs from Jeongdongjin Station to local spots.[2][8]
Due to the aging isue of the trains, the Sea Train ended its operation on 25 December 2023 after 16 years of service.[10]
Operations
edit- Started running: July 25, 2007
- Ended running: December 25, 2023[11]
- Seoul to Sea Train stations: Cheongnyangni station in Seoul to Gangneung station, Donghae station from KTX trains[2]
- Stations: Gangneung station - Jeongdongjin station - Mukho station - Donghae station - Ch'uam station - Samcheok Haebyeon station[2][7]
- Approximate travel time: 1 hour 10 min.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "동해안 바다열차 매진 행렬…"내년부터 못 탄다"". Channel A. 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
- ^ a b c d e Yun, Suh-young (July 9, 2014). "Sunrise haven beside the sea". The Korea Times. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ a b Sohn, Min-Ho (July 16, 2010). 기차여행 7 - 바다열차 (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ 동해안 바다열차 인기 "짱" (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. August 22, 2007. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c "A train with a view". JoongAng Ilbo. July 24, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ Kim, Sujeong (July 18, 2007). 바다열차, 강릉~삼척 ‘비경 80분’ 운행 (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Soak up the serenity of the East Sea's scenes". JoongAng Ilbo. February 2, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c Seo, Jee-yeon (April 19, 2013). "Industrial railroads reborn as tourist attraction". The Korea Herald. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ Jackson, Julie (July 4, 2014). "Home of 'The Hourglass' looks to expand tourism reach". The Korea Herald. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ "동해안 바다열차 매진 행렬…"내년부터 못 탄다"". Channel A. 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
- ^ "동해안 바다열차 매진 행렬…"내년부터 못 탄다"". Channel A. 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
External links
edit
- Sea Train at Korail (in Korean) [dead link]