The Korea Times
The number of passengers using Korea's railroad services reached a record high of over 42 million in the first quarter of the year, data showed Sunday, partly driven by expanded train operations and rising oil prices that reduced private vehicle use. The number of passengers on high-speed KTX and other railroad lines across the country totaled 42.11 million in the January-March period, up 2.1 percent from 41.25 million recorded during the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) and SR Corp. KORAIL said passenger numbers increased partly due to expanded services, including the KTX-Eum train on the Donghae Line between the eastern city of Gangneung and the southeastern port city of Busan, which began operating six times a day late last year. It also cited increased service frequency on the Jungang Line, which rose from six to 18 daily trips. Industry watchers said the increase was also due to higher oil prices stemming from the Middle East conflict that erupted in late February, which reduced private car use and boosted public transportation dema
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