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Police officers and Seoul Metropolitan Government officials inspect the collapse site at the Seosomun Overpass in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. / Photo via Yonhap News

The train service disruptions in central Seoul triggered by the collapse of the Seosomun Overpass have entered their fourth consecutive day. As passenger demand surged on Friday ahead of the weekend, the overall train operation rate plunged to its lowest level since the accident.

According to Korail on May 29, the total number of scheduled train runs across the network, including KTX high-speed services, was slashed from the usual 735 trips to 542. With 193 runs suspended, the overall operation rate dropped to 73.7%—a sharp decline compared to the 80.8% logged on May 27, the day after the accident, and the 82.3% recorded yesterday.

High-speed rail services continued to experience severe setbacks. Only 270 out of 383 scheduled KTX and KTX-Eum high-speed trains are running. Due to these 113 suspensions, the operational capacity for high-speed lines fell to 70.5%, down from 77.0% the previous day. The suspended service routes remained identical to yesterday, affecting the Haengsin-to-Seoul Station and Seoul Station-to-Cheongnyangni segments.

Regular passenger train operations were also trimmed from 352 runs to 272. With 80 trips canceled, the operation rate for regular lines is projected at 77.3%, slipping from 87.2% recorded on Thursday.

Consequently, ITX-Saemaeul and ITX-Maum trains operating on the Gyeongbu, Honam, and Jeolla lines are forcing passengers to use alternative hubs, short-turning to originate and terminate exclusively at Seoul, Yongsan, or Suwon stations. Mugunghwa-ho trains on the Gyeongbu, Honam, and Jeolla lines are operating only as far as Daejeon and Seodaejeon stations, while Janghang line services are running capped to and from Cheonan station.

Tickets for the canceled or adjusted train services will be refunded without cancellation fees, and transactions made via credit cards will be processed automatically.

Railway authorities noted that train schedules may undergo further adjustments depending on the progress of the site clearance managed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Earlier on Thursday, the Seoul Western District Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor convened a review committee to grant conditional approval for the city's demolition and debris removal plan.

Accordingly, structural demolition work resumed early Friday morning. Should the clearing operations conclude smoothly by early Saturday, May 30, railway authorities are expected to evaluate structural safety before determining when to fully restore normal train operations.

                                                                                                            Seol So-young