🇰🇷 Country
Train routes in South Korea
17 routes · high-speed 7 · classic 4 · scenic 5 · luxury 1
17 routes cross South Korea in the World Train Map atlas. The longest is the Rail Cruise Haerang at 1,500 km; the fastest is the KTX, running up to 305 km/h; the oldest line dates to 1984. Every route links to its facts, photo and story, and to the interactive world map.
Open the world railway map →High-speed (7)
- KTX
Korea’s TGV-derived flagship halved the Seoul–Busan run: today the corridor is one of the most intensively served on Earth.
Wikipedia ↗ - KTX Honam
Korea’s second high-speed spine: across the Honam rice plain to Gwangju and Mokpo’s seafood quays, where ferries fan out to a thousand islands.
Wikipedia ↗ - SRT
The upstart from Gangnam. SRT slips out of Suseo through the 50 km Yulhyeon Tunnel and undercuts KTX fares all the way to Busan.
Wikipedia ↗ - KTX Gangneung Line
Built for the PyeongChang 2018 Games: under the Taebaek passes in a 22 km tunnel, out to Gangneung’s espresso beaches on the East Sea.
Wikipedia (KO) ↗ - KTX-Eum Jungang Line
The rebuilt Jungang line, run through since December 2024: EMU-260 sets from Seoul past Confucian Andong and Gyeongju’s royal tombs, down the Donghae line to Bujeon in Busan in 3 h 56.
Wikipedia ↗ - KTX-Eum Jungbu Inland
Korea’s newest inter-city railway, finished through to Mungyeong in November 2024: EMU-260 sets past Chungju and the Suanbo hot springs to the old post road town under Mungyeong Saejae.
Wikipedia (KO) ↗ - KTX Jeolla Line
Off the Honam high-speed line at Iksan and down the Jeolla branch: hanok-roofed Jeonju, Suncheon’s gardens and the Expo harbour at Yeosu.
Wikipedia ↗
Classic (4)
- ITX-Saemaeul
Tilting-comfort intercity that succeeded the storied Saemaul-ho, still running the full 442 km Gyeongbu spine from Seoul to Busan.
Wikipedia ↗ - ITX-Cheongchun
Double-deck 180 km/h EMU on the Youth Line, racing up the Bukhan River to the lake city of Chuncheon, home of dak-galbi.
Wikipedia ↗ - Mugunghwa-ho
Korea’s beloved everyman Rose of Sharon train: cheap reserved seats and rattling coaches taking the slow road from Seoul to Busan.
Wikipedia ↗ - ITX-Maum · Donghae Line
Korea’s newest line: the last east-coast gap closed on New Year’s Day 2025, and now one train runs the whole East Sea shore, Busan to Gangneung.
Wikipedia ↗
Scenic (5)
- Baekdudaegan Canyon Train
White-and-crimson canyon cars crawl the upper Nakdong gorge at 30 km/h: stove-warmed in winter, windows flung open over rapids no road reaches.
Wikipedia ↗ - DMZ Peace Train
Tourist train relaunched in 2026, running to Dorasan: the last station on the line before North Korea, at the fenced edge of the DMZ.
Wikipedia ↗ - S-train (Namdo Ocean)
Since September 2025 the S-train sweeps the whole south coast from Busan to Mokpo, crossing the brand-new Boseong–Imseongri line past tea fields and tidal bays.
Wikipedia ↗ - A-train (Jeongseon Arirang)
The Arirang-themed A-train leaves the Jungang main line at Jecheon and threads the Jeongseon canyon to Auraji, where two mountain torrents meet.
Wikipedia ↗ - G-train (West Gold)
The West Gold train ambles down the Janghang line’s tidal-flat coast, foot baths steaming on board, with Daecheon beach and the Geum estuary out the window.
Wikipedia ↗
Luxury (1)
- Rail Cruise Haerang
Korea’s only sleeper cruise: three days around the entire peninsula from Seoul — Suncheon Bay, Busan, Gyeongju, the Jeongdongjin sunrise — with the train as the hotel.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons — each route page credits the author & licence