Line 9 will run two express trains in a row from Nov. 16
On Seoul's Line 9, the morning up-direction pattern of one express, one local becomes two expresses in a row, then a local. Seoul said on Oct. 14 the change takes full effect Nov. 16. Express buses that skip most stops are joining in too.
Express to local: 1:1 becomes 2:1
The change covers 5:40 to 7:00 a.m. on the track heading from Gaehwa to Jungang Bohun Hospital. The express-to-local ratio moves from 1:1 to 2:1, so two expresses run and a local follows.
Morning service gains 8 trips.
Rush-hour service starts 50 minutes earlier
Concentrated morning service begins at 5:40 a.m. instead of 6:30. The evening window shifts from 4:30-7:00 p.m. to 4:00-6:30 p.m.
At Dongjak, headways between 7:00 and 8:30 a.m. get shorter: from 6 minutes 20 seconds to 6 minutes in one direction, and from 8 minutes 40 seconds to 13 minutes down to 6 minutes 20 seconds to 8 minutes in the other.
The crowding numbers
Seoul's figures for the 7-9 a.m. 30-minute average: down direction 192.5% falls to 172.1%, up direction 182.3% to 174.2%. In the evening (5:30-7:30 p.m.) down goes from 180.5% to 160.3% and up from 149.8% to 147.2%.
Seoul says it is like adding four train sets (24 cars), saving about 66 billion won in vehicle costs.
Buses get an express lane too
Four pilot routes: Express 150 (Dobong depot to City Hall Station), 370 (Gangdong depot to Chungjeongno Station), 470 (Sangam depot to City Hall Station) and 605 (Gangseo depot to Yeongdeungpo Station). Each runs three morning trips: a first run around 4:00-4:30 a.m., then 7:00 and 7:30.
They stop only at major downtown stops such as Jongno and City Hall, cutting stops by 45.8% against regular routes and travel time by about 10%. After the morning peak they go back to regular routes.
Before you ride
The start date is Nov. 16; October is prep time. Route details will be posted at stops, announced on board, and available through Seoul's TOPIS traffic system and navigation apps.
The video above is KBS News's Oct. 14 report.
Sources & context
2026-10-16T03:16:51.408Z
Seoul Metropolitan Government Media Hub · Line 9 express and express buses ↗KBS News official YouTube · Line 9 report ↗