Rail transport in South Korea

Republic of Korea
KTX train
Operation
National railway	KORAIL
Infrastructure company	Korea National Railway[1]
Major operators	KORAIL and SR
Statistics
Ridership	Korail: 139.5 million (2019)[2] SR: 24 million (2019)[2]
Passenger km	Korail: 23.6 billion (2019)[2] SR: 5.4 billion (2019)[2]
Freight	28.7 million tonnes (2019)[3]
System length
Total	4,285 km (2,663 mi) (2020)[3]
Double track	2,790 km (1,730 mi) (2020)[3]
Electrified	3,187 km (1,980 mi) (2020)[3]
High-speed	625 km (388 mi)
Track gauge
Main	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
High-speed	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification
Main	25 kV AC 60 Hz
25 kV AC	All Korail operated network except Ilsan Line
1.5 kV DC	All rapid transit networks including Korail Ilsan Line
Features
Longest tunnel	Yulhyeon Tunnel 50.3 km (31.3 mi)[4]
No. stations	Korail: 698[2] SR: 3[2]
Highest elevation	1,225 m (4,019 ft)
at	Chujeon Station
Lowest elevation	−36 m (−118 ft)
at	Yeouinaru Station
Map

Rail transport in South Korea is a part of the transport network in South Korea and an important mode of the conveyance of people and goods, though railways play a secondary role compared to the road network.^[5][6][7] The network consists of 4,285 km (2,663 mi) of standard-gauge lines connecting all major cities with the exception of Jeju City on Jeju Island, which does not have railways; of the network, 2,790 km (1,730 mi) are double-tracked and 3,187 km (1,980 mi) are electrified.^[3] In 2018, rails carried 11.5 percent of all traffic in South Korea – 134.8 million passengers and 30.9 million tonnes of freight – with roads carrying 88.3 percent.^[8][9]

Passenger and freight services are primarily provided by the Korea Railroad Corporation, branded as Korail, a state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, although some rail lines and services, including high-speed intercity rails and metropolitan rapid transit, are operated by private companies. The Korea National Railway (formerly the Korea Rail Network Authority), another state company under the Transport Ministry, is responsible for constructing and maintaining the railway infrastructure, with Korail and other rail operators paying track access charges to Korea National Railway. Both Korail and Korea National Railway were created in 2004–2005 after the government decided to split the state-owned Korean National Railroad.^[1][10][11]