Summer 2022 abroad (work in progress)

[bmjhagen9426]

This summer, from June 14, to TBD, I am out of the country, in South Korea. Although I live in one place, that did not prevent me from getting out. Some posts will be with pictures, some without. The former will be from my iPhone, which is on AT&T and can only be used on Wifi (all the pics will be taken on the iPhone, and I am not going to foot a hyper-inflated phone bill for next month), while the latter will be from my Samsung S8, which is on a Korean carrier and can use data, which can be used wherever there's cell service (outdoors, in trains, elevated trains, and subway).
Since this is a travel-related post, I will post my first one now. Tomorrow morning, I will be taking a high speed train out of Sŏul at 9am tomorrow morning, headed to Pusan (a port city at the southeast end of the country) to walk its beach and shoreline for a few hours. The train ride will only take 2 and a quarter hours (2h15m) to travel 420km (260mi), with top speeds up to 305km/h (190mph), arriving at 11:15am. As I live about an hour and a half outside of the train station, I will have to leave by 6:45 at the latest to have enough time to board and find my way to the right platform (as I am told, there are 14 of them, 11 of which can be used by it, as the other 3 are stub-end and rather short, and as such, are rarely used by trains. Stay tuned for updates. More to follow.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

As the day breaks, so I also move. Currently at the elevated rail station. My train to take me to the main railway station should take me about one and one quarter hours, and should come in at any minute. As I wait, another northbound train pulls in, promptly followed by the southbound (I will take the latter).

30 minutes in, after going through small towns, and stations spaced out over a longer distance, we enter one of the northern outskirt districts of the capitol city, Sŏul. However, it will be another 40 minutes to downtown (the central district), where the railway station is, even with top speeds of up to 110km/h (70mph). It is clouded and overcast with occasional rain. As we pull in, the dispatcher directs my train into the outer platform to allow an express train to overtake the non-express (I'm on the latter). The conductor makes the announcement of the minor delay. On the adjacent building, another route can be accessed, covering different areas than what I am on, and after 5 minutes we are on the move again. As this is technically rush hour all seats are taken and the train occasionally fills up.

20 minutes to go, and we are at the edge of downtown. My train is very crowded now, with no room to stand, essentially shoulder to shoulder. The elevated train, which has been at ground level since the outskirts, now goes underground as a subway for the next 20 minutes. When going underground, the electrification switches from 25000V AC at 60Hz to 1500V DC, which requires a neutral section 66m (200') long. The signalling also switches from ATS-S to ATS-P. Underground, the stations are close together, and very shallow in depth.

After nearly an hour and a half, I have left the subway and came up to the railway station and wait for my 9am train, while the subway continues on, and will eventually travel into another city to the west. I got platform 4, which is at the left end. Even with 25 minutes to go, there are crowds of people. Time to go down to that platform.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

As soon as the clock hits 9, the train departs. It will only take 2 hours and 15 minutes at top speed of up to 305km/h (190mph, which is faster than the Acela trains in the NEC) to get to Pusan railway station in the southeast, only stopping at Taejŏn and East Taegu (all 2 midpoint stops, and the destination being directly governed major cities). It will only take upwards of 15 minutes by the time the train leaves Sŏul, the capitol city, and by then, only 2 hours remain. For the most of those 15 minutes, the high speed trains run alongside with metro trains, freight trains, and conventional trains (with the latter two sharing trackage, and as such is close to max capacity). The train is almost fully booked, with last-ditch holiday-makers.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

Less than an hour in, my train rolls past a marshalling yard and is ready to pull into its first intermediate stop, after traveling nonstop for almost 200km (120mi).

 

[bmjhagen9426]

After a mere 2 1/4 hours, my train is ready to pull into its terminal, and it is time for me to enjoy some lunchtime meal and walk the shores.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

After doing some time by the sea side, now starting my journey back to the capitol. Since the railway station is in downtown, away from the beaches, time to use the subway to get there, which will take about three-quarters of an hour.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

Just boarded the train that will take me from Pusan city (city of seaports and ocean beaches) back to the capitol city of Sŏul. Leaving in 10 minutes. As it will use the conventional trackage, speed will be limited to 150km/h (90mph), and will take 4 and a half hours, making stops in smaller cities and towns as well as the larger directly governed cities along the way.

 

[OBS]

Great reporting. Interesting what a major time difference between express and conventional. What is approx. cost difference?

 

[bmjhagen9426]

The HSR for my outbound cost 59800 KRW (about $45) in economy for a 420km (260 mi) trip. If I would have taken the first class for that trip, it would have cost me 83700 KRW ($63). As for my return trip, which was on conventional trackage spanning 442km (276mi), it cost me 42600 KRW ($32). The conventional route has two classes: Express and Local, and I took the former. Had I taken the latter, it would have cost me a mere 28600 KRW ($22), but it would have taken me 5 1/2 hours to complete the trip, instead of 4 1/2 hours, as it has more stops. As for the seat space, the conventionals have big enough space for me to sit comfortably. On the HSR, economy seats are narrow, at 930mm (36"), and half of seats were backwards-facing, (which might cause nausea at high speeds if you are sensitive), and the seats cannot be rotated. However, the car I was in, carriage no. 5, despite being an economy class car, the seats were a bit wider at 960mm (38"), so I was able to sit back without issues. Also, all seats on HSR carriage no. 5 are forward-facing and can be rotated. The reason why that carriage, despite being economy class, has that distinction, is because it used to be a first class carriage but was downgraded to economy to alleviate the seating shortage in economy class, and adding a column of seats did not add too much weight to the consist as a whole. As for the width of HSR First Class seats, it is 1160mm (46").

 

[bmjhagen9426]

Also for the subways used, the fare systems are as described below, while on the subject of transportation costs.

Sŏul Metropolitan Subway fare system:
Fare basis - Distance-based
Transfers - Honored on buses and routes operated by private corporations. Limit 5 transfers within 5 hours, and transfers must be made within 30 minutes after exiting (60 minutes for transfers made before 07:00 or after 21:00), and can't use transfers back into the same mode.
Subway lines subject to surcharges and/or special fares - Airport Line (island segment, base fare if originating within this segment is KRW 900 ($0.67) for the first 10km (6mi), exceeding it, or coming from, or going to the metropolitan fare system, the surcharge is KRW 130 ($1.10) for each 10km (6mi) in excess or with interlining), DX Line (operated by NeoTrans, minimum surcharge KRW 500 ($0.37), maximum surcharge KRW 1900 ($1.42)), EverLine (also operated by NeoTrans, KRW 200 ($0.15) surcharge), and U Line (KRW 300 ($0.22) surcharge)
Fare validity - 5 hours from entry
Fare media - NFC card
Base fare - KRW 1250 ($0.93), for up to 10km (6mi)
Additional fares (on top of the base fare, stackable on top of each other) - Stage 1 is KRW 100 ($0.08) for each 5km (3mi), in excess of 10km (6mi) up to 50km (31mi), Stage 2 is KRW 800 ($0.60) plus KRW 100 ($0.08) for each 8km (5mi) in excess of 50km (31mi).
Special fares (on top of the base and additional fares) - KRW 100 ($0.08) for each 4km (2mi), applicable only when travel involves going outside of the borders of Sŏul Metropolitan area (the metropolitan area includes the Sŏul city proper, Kyŏnggi Province, which surrounds the Sŏul city proper, and Inch'ŏn city, which is a neighboring directly governed city).
Discounted fares - KRW 1000 ($0.75) when fare is activated prior to 6:30.

Pusan Subway fare system:
Fare media: NFC cards and paper magstripe (the latter has a KRW 100 ($0.08) surcharge)
Fare structure - Area-based (2 Areas)
Area definition - Area 1 is within 10km (6mi) from point of origin, Area 2 is excess of 10km (6mi) from point of origin.
Single area fare - KRW 1300 ($0.97)
Two area fare - KRW 1500 ($1.12)
Special fares apply on the Tonghae Line, which is operated by Korean National Railroad, and are as follows - KRW 1300 ($0.97) base fare up to 10km (6mi), add KRW 200 ($0.15) for each 10km (6mi) in excess of the first 10km (6mi), and also add KRW 200 ($0.15) for inter-city travel between Pusan and Ulsan cities. BGL Line does not have a special fare.